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PRESENTED TO THE 
HOME ECONOMICS EXTENSION DEPARTMENT 
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
By 
Mrs. SPENCER EWING 


PT SP | SR ERI 6 ED ( 


= 
Soom ERE) RE (| SER) SERED ( Si nas NE Ae 


_ CENTRAL CIRCULATION BOOKSTACKS 


_ The person charging this material is re- 

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on or before the Latest Date stamped 
below. You may be charged a minimum 
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for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from 


the University. 
TO RENEW CALL TELEPHONE CENTER, 333-8400 


| OCT 21 1998 
TI kk OCT 2 6 1996 


When renewing by phone, write new due date below 
previous due date. L162 


COE OED EP () > () > () (ee _ 


®, 

j PRESENTED TO THE 

HOME ECONOMICS EXTENSION DEPARTMENT 
: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 

| By 

| MRS. SPENCER EWING 

J 


> |) ASB) 


Seo -ame ><> () aE ( Mies tga Sea. (ot ae 


THE FUN BOOK 
ee NE A coh ce ge 
EDNA GEISTER 


ie 


THE FUN BOOK 


Stunts for Hvery Month 


an the Year 


BY 
EDNA GEISTER 
ADVISOR AND DIRECTOR OF RECREATION 


Author of “Let’s Play,” “It Is to Laugh,” “Ice-Breakers 
and The Ice-Breaker Herself,” etc. 


NEw WB vorx 
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT, 1923, 
BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 


THE FUN BOOK. I 


PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 


CHAPTER 
I Breraxine 


Il Breaxine 
Ili Breaxine 
IV Breaxine 
V Breaxkine 
VI Breaxine 
VII Breakine 
VIII Breaxine 
IX Breakine 
X BREAKING 


XI Breaxine 


re. ore STUDIES, 


CONTENTS 


THE Ick IN JANUARY eaten 


THE Ick In FepruaRY . . 


THE Ick IN March: 23.4) '% 
THE Ice in APRIL . .  .« 
THe Tce IN MAYS ie ae 
THE IcE IN JUNE are 
THE IcE IN JuLY anp AUGUST 
THE Ick IN SEPTEMBER . 
THE Icke IN OcTOBER igre 
THE Ice IN NOVEMBER . 


THE Ick IN DECEMBER . . 


XII Sueerstions to LEADERS. . . . 


InDEXx 


120 
136 
154 
166 
GE 
185 


The different chapters include discussions of Decorations, 
Personal and House; Mixers; Group Games; Stunts; Con- 
tests; Tricks; Partners and Refreshments; Chapter VII 

being devoted especially to Out-of-Door and Picnic Events. 


A 
ates 
Hit, 


THE FUN BOOK 


THE FUN BOOK 


CHAPTER I 
JANUARY 
For Either Large or Small Groups 


Baby Show. 


January is the month in which to show cute baby pic- 
tures of the guests present. They are displayed as 
lantern slides while the group guesses what burly in- 
dividual in the crowd could possibly have started life 
as dimpled a cherub as the one in the photograph. 

_ This is a good way for wives to get even with hus- 
bands—to respond to the urgent request for baby pic- 
tures by bringing their husbands’ earliest likenesses. 

There is such an appreciative response when a 
dimpled darling is shown on the screen and the crowd, 
trying to be funny, guesses it to be Mr. Burns, the head 
of the Rotary Club. But that appreciative response 
is as nothing compared to the hilarious uproar that 
greats the leader’s ‘‘Correct!’’ 


Baby Caps. 

Because January is the infant month of the year it 
would be fitting for the committee to prepare infant 
headgear for all the guests. A sheet of either white tis- 
gue or white crepe paper about sixteen by twenty-four 


10 THE FUN BOOK 


inches, with a strip long enough to tie around the neck 
with a small bow in front will provide an exquisite baby 
cap. It is by no means amiss to have ‘‘milliners’’ at the 
door to help guests make and put on their baby caps, 
the making process being a matter of putting the large 
piece of paper over their heads and fastening it on 
securely by means of the tie with a coquettish white 
bow under the chin. 

If anyone thinks it might detract from the fun of an 
evening to have all the guests, men and girls alike, 
cavorting about with dainty white baby caps on their. 
heads—let that ‘‘anyone’’ try it. Mayor Neilan’s pink 
face framed in a frilly crepe paper cap with an adorable 
chin bow is a sight not soon to be forgotten. | 


Resolute Greetings. 

The committee has written out resolutions on little 
slips of paper, enough of them so that every guest may 
have one to wear pinned on his shoulder. Then as 
guests greet each other they may say only, ‘‘Happy 
New Year. I resolve to give up using snuff!’’ or what- 
ever resolution the committee has so thoughtfully pre- 
pared for them. 

Many of the resolutions are duplicated in a large 
crowd, but it makes no difference as long as every vica- 
rious resolution is as impossible as possible! | 


Compulsory Resolutions. 

January is the month in which perfectly good resolu- 
tions are made—and broken. To remind guests of their 
duty to resolve a thing or two, large signs are hung on 
all sides bearing delicate suggestions for resolutions. 
The following are typical: 


JANUARY 11 


. I resolve to control my wife’s temper. 

. I resolve to lose fifty pounds. 

. I resolve to sing in the choir. 

. I resolve to smile sweetly when dinner is not ready. 
. I resolve to make a new man out of my husband. 

. I resolve to do what I please. 

Guests are invited, or rather, warned, to pay strict 
attention to these resolutions and to sign their name to 
at least five of them. Later in the evening these signs 
are taken down and the names of the signees read, 
together with the resolutions. A check-up is then taken 
and any guest whose name has not been signed to the 
necessary number of resolutions is called to the platform. 
The other guests are then given the great privilege and 
even greater pleasure of choosing the five resolutions 
he should have signed. 

It will be found that 100 per cent of the men will re- 
solve to control the temper of their wives. 


Oo Oe © DS eS 


Limited Sociability. 

To start the year aright guests are asked to be social 
but only within certain limits. They are asked to form 
in groups according to the month in which their birth- 
days come. After the different months have assembled 
an announcement is made to the effect that January is 
to go and call on June, February on November, March 
on July, etc., ete., and that the only topic of conversa- 
tion allowed is one of flattery, each month telling the 
other month how wonderful it is. The leader has 
‘‘snoopers’’ about who detect anyone making conver- 
sation on any other subject. Their names are listed and 
they are by no means forgotten. 

There is another rule to the effect that members of 


12 THE FUN BOOK 


each month must hold each other’s hands on their way 
over to visit other months. Also, in the two minutes 
allowed for visiting there must be constant handshaking. 

After two minutes a new visiting list is read, the 
Aprils having to visit the Decembers, etce., etc., the one 
topic of conversation allowed being just what April 
thinks of the way December acts in church and vice 
versa, opinions being delivered in no uncertain terms. 

If the guests have survived their individual arraign- 
ments a third and last visiting list is read, and when the 
various groups have fouzd each other they are in- 
formed that they are to entertain one another by singing 
heartily any seme they choose. | 

Guests will be either social or extinct after this last 
elfort at sociability. 


Conceited Calendar. 

Just after the above game, while guests are still 
divided into their monthly groups, each month is asked 
to show in no vague way why that particular month is 
the most interesting and worthwhile of all the months. 
In each group there should be a leader who has ready 
a suggestion for that group, some stunt which will por- 
tray the big outstanding event of that month. Stunts 
should be as far-fetched and foolish as possible. 

January shows resolutions made—and broken. March 
is both ‘‘fresh’’ and ‘‘green.’’ 

The group whose stunt is chosen by the judges as 
being the most impossible (although no announcement 
has been made to that effect beforehand) gets the prize— 
end the ridicule of the other months. 


JANUARY 13 


The Straight and Narrow Path. 

A racecourse for each contestant is marked out by a 
string stretched across the length of the room. Con- 
testants are given opera glasses and are asked to show 
to the assembled multitude how straight and narrow a 
path they are going to follow in the coming year, by 
walking along their piece of string and at the same time 
looking through the large end of the glasses. 

The outlook for a straight and narrow path for the 
community for the coming year will be a poor one if 
judged by the results of this contest. 


Vicarious Bad Habits. 

Each guest has been asked to bring something that he 
wishes to throw away as symbolic of his bad habits. 
Those who forget to do so are gladly furnished with such 
symbols of such habits by the committee members who 
have put deep and ‘‘with-evil-intent’’ thought on the 
subject. When all the guests have arrived each guest 
changes his symbol for that of someone else. All guests 
are then lined up and in turn they are to mount the 
platform, place the discarded bad habit on the table, tell 
whose bad habit it was and just why it is being thrown 
away. 

There is positively no rule against the imagination 
running riot. At one New Year church party the min- 
ister innocently brought a stick of gum to throw away 
as symbolic of one bad habit being overcome. The 
choirmaster’s wife got the gum and when her turn came 
went into elaborate explanation as to why the minister 
was giving up the gum-chewing habit. She told of his 
loose, false back tooth; how the last time he was chew- 
ing gum, when he took it out in his preparations for 


14 THE FUN BOOK 


prayer meeting he was in such a hurry that the gum 
got mixed up with the tooth and he swallowed them 
both—and the tooth not yet paid for! 


The Slippery Slide. 

To make this event successful the floor should be 
fairly well polished and slippery. There are eight con- 
testants, paired off in twos to make four teams. Each 
team is given a small rug and at the signal the first 
runner on each team puts his left foot on the rug and 
the right one on the floor. He then starts propelling 
himself down the room just as a child propels a scooter, 
using the right foot as the motive power and keeping the 
left one on the rug. At the far end of the room opposite 
each team is stationed a human post around whom the 
scooter must go. He then returns to give the rug to the 
second member of his team who goes through the same 
performance. 

Mature and substantial citizens of a community have 
been known to acquire real skill and real speed in this 
Slippery Slide! 


A Snappy Happy New Year. 

Each guest is provided with from five to ten bright 
red tags in each of which is stuck a pin, the number of 
the tags varying with the size of the group. An an- 
nouncement is made to the effect that any guest who 
can grasp the right hand of any other guest, shake that 
hand, make a deep bow and say, ‘‘ Happy New Year to 
you!’’ is privileged to pin a red tag on the back of that 
friend whom he took unawares. The first three to dis- 
pose of all their tags in this way get a prize—and will 
have earned it. The first three on whose back repose 


JANUARY 15 


a full quota of tags are put on the list of victims slated 
for a later reckoning. 

There will inevitably be a great deal of altercation, 
but it is just as inevitable that such altercation will be 
of the friendly, foolish kind. However, the leader’s an- 
nouncement makes it plain that a few rules must be 
observed, namely: 

1. A person’s right hand must not be clasped in his 
left, thereby making it impossible for another guest to 
grasp his right hand. (We say ‘‘ Hts right hand’’ ad- 
visedly. No lady would employ such methods!) 

2. The one who first reached out to grasp a hand is ~ 
the one who is privileged to tag. If right hands go out 
simultaneously to meet each other it is called a draw 
and neither one may tag the other. 

3. It is absolutely essential to shake hands, bow, and 
say ‘‘Happy New Year to you!’’ and say it with a grin. 


Courage. 

Four of the women who owe a fine are asked to stand 
facing the group. Each one is given a toy balloon of 
the sausage variety and told that the one who first blows 
her balloon to the point where it explodes will be given 
a prize and that the last one to explode her balloon will 
have to pay any penalty the other three contestants 
decide upon. 

Well ! It takes real courage to blow up a balloon — 
or anything else to the point where it will explode be- 
fore your very face. Then too, if you happen to be fat 
and of the type that can hold in just so long and then 
must laugh or burst—the steady blowing up of a 
balloon is no laughing matter. 


16 THE FUN BOOK 


Virtuous Tableaux, 

Guests are divided into groups according to directions 
for the division of groups under Suggestions to Leaders. 
Each group is then given ten minutes in which to pre- 
pare a stunt that will show the virtue which that par- 
ticular group is to practice for the coming year. When 
the ten minutes are up each group in turn is called out 
to perform, and must continue performing until the 
audience guesses the virtue they are portraying. The 
group that gives the best stunt is given a double share 
of refreshments. 

It is a wise plan for a leader to have at hand a list 
of ‘‘virtues’’ as suggestions. The following list is typi- 
eal: 1. Go to church. (No group needs help on pan- 
tomiming that stunt!) 2. Pay one’s bills. 3. Tell the 
truth on all occasions. 


Chin Chin. 

“Three of the men on the list of legal victims are 
politely but firmly requested to play ‘‘Chin Chin.’’ A 
sheet is spread out on the floor, the three men being 
asked to kneel on one end of it and then to push the 
cotton snowball with which each one has been provided 
to the other end. Chins only may be used as pushers. 

Double chins serve as admirable pushers. 


Sticky Snowballs. 

Four delinquents are cordially invited to participate 
in a snowball race. Four snowballs are hung in the 
doorway between two rooms. These snowballs are apples 
which have had a light coat of white syrup put on them, 
after which they were dipped in powdered sugar and 
then again covered lightly with white syrup. They are 


JANUARY 17 


suspended on rubber strings in an open doorway. Each 
contestant is assigned a snowball and when the signal 
is given they race to see which can first get three bites. 

The one who succeeds surely deserves a prize, while all 
of them deserve a bit of soap and water. A swinging 
snowball is at best hard enough to catch with one’s teeth, 
but a swinging snowball suspended on rubber and cov- 
ered with syrup offers food for thought! 


Initial Resolves. 

Just before refreshments each guest is given a card 
on which is written ‘‘I resolve to ——————..’”’ He is 
asked to write his name on it and fill in the blank with 
the resolution he is prepared to make regarding his 
conduct in the coming year. The only requirement is 
that the resolution is to be made up of two words, which 
words are to begin with the initial of the resolver’s 
name. A typical card reads as follows: ‘‘Fred Jarvey, 
I resolve to Forget Jennie.’’ 

Each eard is pinned on its owner’s back and it is the 
business of guests to go about getting resolutions 
together with the resolvee’s names. They are to get as 
many of these as possible but not to let anyone get theirs. 
After ten minutes a count is called for and the one who 
got the most is asked to stand before the group and 
read aloud the resolutions together with the names of 
the resolvers he has gathered. 

Some embarrassing disclosures are inevitable. 


Golash! 

Women contestants are divided into two lines. The 
first one in each line is given a pair of large, very 
floppy golashes. At the signal these two put on their 


18 THE FUN BOOK 


golashes without buckling them and run to the goal and 
return, giving their golashes to the next runner. This 
continues until all members of both teams have run the 
course, a la golashes. 

This race is as hard to look at as it is to run! 


Stork Race. hii 

Men contestants are divided into lines of equal length. 
The first player in each line takes his right ankle in his 
left foot, hops to the’ goal and returns to the starting 
point where he touches off the next runner. This con- 
tinues until all the players of a line have hopped to the 
goal and back. 

The winning line may name some stunt which all the 
losers must perform. That is, all losers who are not per- 
manently crippled. 


Refreshments. 

The committee may arrange the food on a table past 
which each guest is invited to file and help himself to 
refreshments, the only requirement being that every 
guest is to show the spirit with which he is meeting the 
New Year by singing lustily some song other than those 
his neighbors are singing! 

This has been known to turn out to be harder on the 
committee than on the performers. 


For Small Group 
_Duties. 

Each guest writes out what he considers to be the 
duty of an honest and upright citizen. These duties are 
then collected, mixed and passed around again and each 
guest is asked to sign the name of his right-hand neigh- 
bor. After a final collecting and mixing and passing out, 


JANUARY 19 


these duties are then read aloud together with the 
names of the people whose names are written on them. 

It would be a bit embarrassing for the ladies in the 
Old Folks Home if the principal of the High School 
followed instructions and did his duty every Sun- 
day afternoon by singing sentimental solos for their 
entertainment. 


Advance Fashions. 


Guests are paired off into couples and are asked to 
show their conception of what the coming year will 
bring as to new fashions. Impromptu properties such 
as hat trimmings, ribbons, old-fashioned hats and cloth- 
ing of any and every description, newspapers, pins, 
paste, etc., are made available. 

After some ten or fifteen minutes of preparation the 
fashion show starts, each couple in turn parading for 
the benefit of the other guests. The couple which shows 
the most startling originality in its conception of com- 
ing fashions gets the prize. 


F A f 
Extinct Fashions, \ VLLAA, 


me as 


~““This may be played backwards and with pencil and 
paper instead of with real clothes. Each guest is asked 
to name five articles which will probably become extinct 
within the coming year, in each case giving his reason, 
as well as describing the article which will probably re- 
place the old one. 
Liavd 
My Diary. WM 
Guests are given sheets of paper, on the left of which 
are written the days of the week. Hach guest is to sign 
his name at the top, fold it over and pass it on to his 


20 THE FUN BOOK 


right-hand neighbor. Then each player fills in the blank 
opposite Monday with a four or five word account of 
what he did on Monday. After this is folded over and 
passed on he does the same for Tuesday on the new 
diary handed to him, and so it continues until the week’s 
diary is completed. 

Then each guest reads aloud the complete week’s 
diary he holds, being very careful first to give the name 
at the top of the paper, the supposed writer of that wild 
diary. One president of a bank whose diary was made 
and read in this way learned that on Monday he had 
had a henna rinse; on Tuesday had attended a musicale; 
on Wednesday a sewing bee; on Thursday he had 
pickled pears; on Friday he had cleaned the pantry; 
on Saturday had made over his little lace dinner dress; 
and on Sunday he had washed his teeth. 


I Confess! 


Immediately upon entering the door each guest is 
handed a slip of paper on which he is to write his name. 
After being folded so that the name does not show, those 
belonging to the men are dropped in one basket while 
those of the girls go into another. Later in the evening, 
perhaps just before refreshments, each man is asked to 
take one of the slips out of the girls’ basket, while the 
girls take a slip out of the men’s basket. Then, with- 
out looking at the names on their folded slips of paper 
guests are to write out a confession, using these words: 
**T confess that I —_————,”’ filling in the blank with 
their confessions which must number at least two words. 

These confessions are again collected, mixed up indis- 
criminately, and just after refreshments passed around, 


JANUARY 21 


each person being asked to read aloud the confession on 
his paper together with the name signed to it. 

It is hardly necessary to go into detail as to Bill 
Huber’s feelings when he hears the pretty school teacher 
read aloud the confession she holds which tells the wide 
and interested world that ‘‘I confess that I use curl 
papers. Signed, Bill Huber.”’ 


avert Wesotutions. 


Guests are divided into two groups, the groups taking 
turn in pantomiming resolutions until the other side 
guesses what resolution is being portrayed. 


Ambitions. 

Each guest in turn is to pantomime the thing which 
as a child he most longed to be. The others guess his 
ambition. 

In the next round each guest is to demonstrate his 
childhood conception of the last word in looks. Fat 
Miss Butterfield, showing her High School ambition to 
look slinky is a sight for tired eyes. 


Vicarious Resolutions. 

Each guest is given a slip of paper on which is 
written the name of some other guest, for which other 
guest he is to write a stern resolution. After having 
performed this pleasant duty guests sign their own 
names on the backs of these resolutions and turn them 
in to the hostess, who then proceeds to read aloud the 
resolution and the person it was written for, leaving it 
to that unfortunate person to guess who wrote it. If he 
guesses correctly he can demand any forfeit he chooses 
of his resolving friend. 


22 THE FUN BOOK 


Vicarious Wishes. 

The above game may be used with wishes rather than 
resolutions. It doesn’t take Dr. Marmon an hour or 
two to guess that it was his wife who wished that he 
would lose his false tooth, and when he demands that 
she sing a solo as a forfeit he has the backing of the 
whole group! 


A Resolute Story. 

Resolutions are made out for other guests as in Vica- 
rious Resolutions, but instead of being read aloud they 
are given to the hostess who has prepared a story in 
which blanks have been left. When they are ready the 
hostess reads this story aloud and whenever she comes 
to a blank she puts in one of these resolutions. This 
usually results in ‘‘The hero rushes madly down the 
hill resolving that I, Mrs. Henry Stowell, will never 
again dye my mustache!’ 


I Make My Will. 

Each guest is asked to write out his will giving away 
five of his most precious possessions. However, he is 
not allowed to say to whom he wishes to give those pos- 
sessions. When he has listed his five possessions he folds 
the paper so the list cannot be read. When the hostess 
gives the signal he passes this list to his right-hand 
neighbor, in turn receiving one from his left-hand neigh- 
bor. Each guest is then to write out the names of five 
people to whom the possessions are to be willed, folds 
over his paper and again passes it to the right. 

The third and last time each one is to write out five 
‘‘uses,’’ one for each of these possessions. The wills are 


JANUARY 23 


then collected, mixed and passed around and in turn, 
read aloud. 

The guests are delighted to learn that Deacon Prouty 
wills his false teeth to Mrs. Barnes for decorative 
purposes. 


Refreshments. 

To find partners have a snowball fight. An imaginary 
line is drawn across the middle of the room about ten 
feet off the floor, the men standing on one side the line 
and the girls on the other. The girls are given strict 
orders not to move for any reason whatsoever, while the 
men are asked to turn their backs to the girls and to 
number off. Each man is then given a snowball and in 
turn, according to their numbers, they are to throw 
their snowballs backwards over towards the group of 
girls, As soon as the hostess sees which girl the snow- 
ball of man No. 1 hit she calls out, ‘‘Mr. Graham hit 
Violet Derby!’’ and the two become partners. Imme- 
diately No. 2 throws his snowball backwards and the 
girl he hits becomes his partner, and so it SdesiMtil all 
the men have hit a partner. 

If a snowball does not hit anyone the girl nearest it 
picks it up and the man who threw it must try again. 
Snowballs are made by making small balls of cotton, 
tying a piece of white thread around them, putting a 
bit of glue on them and then sprinkling them with 
diamond dust. 

All snowballs must be turned in after the snowball 
fight ! 

Then, as partners pass before the tables on which the 
refreshments have been placed, no guest is allowed to 
help himself until he tells the refreshment committee 


24 THE FUN BOOK 


what he promises to give up eating in the coming year. 
If stomachs could tell tales! 


Note: The following games written up elsewhere in 
the book may be used for January parties: 

1. Leap Year Partners. See Dramatic Partnership. 
In this case the girls do the performing, and are called 
upon to do men’s occupations, 

2. Leap Year Hunt. Any of the Hunts described in 
the February chapter may be used if mittens instead of 
hearts are hidden. 

3. See the Hallowe’en Witch. Father Time takes the 
part of the witch and pointing at the different guests in 
turn, makes out very-much-to-the-point resolutions for 
them. 

4. See Nicknames. Quests use the names they would 
have chosen for themselves had they been given a choice. 

Dd. See Celebrities, and Great Men. Guests use their 
own names. 

6. See Hooray! George Washington is replaced by 
Father Time. 


CHAPTER II © 
FEBRUARY 
For Either Large or Small Groups 


Heart-y Singing. 

- After guests have found partners through the grand 
march they are asked to break ranks and look for the 
little hearts hidden all over the room. 

But—no man is allowed to pick up a heart. Instead, 
as soon as he finds one he puts his finger on it and im- 
mediately sings up the scale to his partner. As soon 
as he has done this she may pick up the heart, but not 
before. 

Committee members warn them that they will be 
vigilant in looking for violators of this rule; that any 
girl found picking up a heart before her partner has 
sung up the scale to her will be given considerable pub- 
licity later, her partner making a ‘“‘personal appear- 
ance’’ with her. Nor is it enough to sing up the scale 
for the first heart. It must be repeated for every heart. 

For those with truly musical ears this game is some- 
what of a hardship. The two who find the most hearts 
are given a kazoo in appreciation of their nimbleness and 
musical ability, while the two who found the least are 


gently but firmly asked to sing a duet. 
25 


26 THE FUN BOOK 


Intermittent Heart Hunt. 

In this hunt for hidden hearts—truly a game of the 
ages !—a sudden toot of the leader’s whistle calls for an 
immediate halt. Even if players are in the very act of 
picking up a nice, red heart they must resist temptation, 
quickly find their partners, join the line of march and 
continue in it until another whistle gives them the signal 
to hunt again. 

This continues for two more rounds. Then all hearts 
are counted and a record is given to the leader as the 
players march past her. The man and the girl who 
found the most hearts are admitted to be the most agile 
guests present, so they will be given an opportunity to 
show their speed in the next event, a race. The two who 
found the least are deemed the slowest, and as an incen- 
tive to speed up they are obliged to race against the 
two winners. 

All players are then Asced to march past an im- 
promptu refreshment committee and exchange their 
paper hearts for an equal number of more honest-to- 
goodness hearts. 


Noah’s Ark. 


“Still another kind of hunt is this Noah’s Ark version. 
The entire group is divided into smaller groups by 
using the grand march to line guests up in rows of 
eight. Each group of eight then forms an ‘‘animal 
family,’’ the leader telling the different groups what 
animal they are to be. One group is to be dogs, another 
group roosters, another group pigs, and so on. The 
dog group can talk in bow-bows only, the rooster group 
in eock-a-doodle-doos, and the pigs in oi-ois. 

After each group has chosen a leader the signal for 


FEBRUARY 27 


the hunt is given and they all start out to hunt for the 
hidden hearts. But when they find a heart, instead of 
picking it up they are to put a finger on it and call for 
their leader by using their animal ealls. The dogs 
‘‘Bow-wow!’’ until their leader hears them and comes 
over to pick up the heart. None but leaders are allowed 
to pick up hearts, the other players using their animal 
calls to signal to their leaders that they have found a 
heart. : 
After about five minutes of this the call for counting 
is given. The group that found the most hearts is 
privileged to act as audience while all the other groups 
must in turn, and with much gusto, give their animal 
calls for a full minute for the entertainment of the 
audience. 

Perhaps the words ‘‘privileged’’ and ‘‘entertain- 
ment’’ are poorly chosen! 


Hooray! <« 

The leader stands out before the group and makes a 
speech on which she has put just a little preparation. 
This speech should be freely interspersed with mention 
of George Washington. Every time she says his name 
she is to raise either her right or her left hand, or both 
hands in gestures. 

If she raises her right hand the group must cry 
‘*Hooray!’’ until she lowers it; and if her left hand, 
they are to clap vigorously; if both hands, they are to 
clap and shout ‘‘Hooray!’’ until she lowers her hands. 
Anyone who does the wrong thing at any time is to 
come up and stand beside her in front of the others. 

She will have two-thirds of the group beside her be- 

fore she has made half her speech. 


28 THE FUN BOOK 


I Am a Great Manz {U4 Oth 

A player who is a fluent talker is chosen to start this 
game. He stands before the group and starts to boast 
about himself, stopping after each sentence for the 
handclapping and the ‘‘ Hear, hear!’’ which is his due 
from each listener who does not wish to pay the penalty 
of having to be the next speaker. Anyone who does not 
clap his hands after every boasting sentence and ery, 
‘‘Hear hear!’’ may be called upon by the speaker to take 
the floor. 

It comes hard to the best of goodly women to applaud 
another woman who has just\made a statement to the 
effect that she is the only good*looking woman present; 
that she is the only woman present who is under forty 
years of age; or under two hundred pounds in weight! 


tt. 


Celebrities. TNS 

Men form one line while girls form another, the 
receiving committee standing in a line at the front of 
the room. The first girl goes to the first member of the 
receiving line, shakes hands with him and tells him her 
name which must be that of some great celebrity, every 
guest having been asked to assume the name of some 
great person. 

This first guest is passed down the receiving line, in 
each case being introduced by her famous name. When 
she reaches the end of the line she becomes a part of it. 
She is immediately followed by the first man in the 
men’s line; he is followed by the second girl in the 
girls’ line and so it continues, first a girl and then a 
man, a girl and a man, each one using a famous name 
and becoming a part of the receiving line when they 


FEBRUARY 29 


have finished being introduced and shaking hands with 
members of that line. 

In this way every guest will shake hands with every 
other guest, and every George Washington will have 
met every Queen of England. 


My Heart Is Broken! 


As each guest comes in he is given a red paper heart 
across which a black line has been drawn to indicate 
that the heart is broken. He is asked to write on that 
broken heart some well-known name, preferably that of 
some guest present or someone well-known in the com- 
munity. Men are to write a girl’s name, and girls are 
to write a man’s. As soon as a name is written on a 
heart it is dropped into a box, those bearing men’s names 
in one box and those with girls’ names in another. 

When most of the guests have arrived the men file 
past the box of hearts on which girls’ names have been 
written and each man helps himself to one. The girls 
do the same with the hearts in the other box. When the 
signal is given they are all to pin these hearts on their 
backs; are given cards and pencils and are told to go 
- about finding out who it was that broke the hearts of 
fellow guests, the name written on the heart indicating 
who broke the heart of the owner of that heart. 

Moreover, they are urged to make it as difficult as 
possible for other guests to see their own hearts. There- 
fore, while Mrs. Sands is trying to find out who it 
was that broke Deacon Bower’s heart, he is dodging 
her and at the same time trying to find out who broke 
his wife’s heart! In each case, they must take the 
name of the owner of the heart and the breaker of the 
heart. After ten minutes of this the lists are collected 


30 THE FUN BOOK 


and the most complete one is read aloud. A prize of a 
large red candy heart is offered the one who was the 
speediest in finding out the secrets of other people’s 
hearts. 

It proves a bit startling to hear that the minister’s 
heart was broken by the high soprano. 


I Give My Heart To : 

This may be played exactly like ‘‘My Heart is 
Broken’’ except that instead of the black line indicating 
the broken heart, are the words, ‘‘I give my heart 
to .? The reception committee is very canny 
and hides that part of the heart, covering it and point- 
ing with a finger to the place where the guest is to sign 
the name of someone of the opposite sex. 

It is not only startling, but tragic as well to learn that 
the principal of the High School is willing—yes, even 
eager !—to give his heart to Mrs. Burnham, who already 
has a very healthy husband and four grown-up sons. 


Hearts and Flours, 

Each of the four contestants is to kneel in front of a 
chair on which has been placed a saucer of flour. In 
this flour there has been placed a large, flat, candy heart 
with some silly, sentimental verse written on it. Hands 
are to be held behind them, and when the signal is 
given the four contestants are to find their hearts—with 
their teeth. 

No blowing into the flour from the sidelines is en- 
couraged! The one who first finds his heart with his 
teeth gets a real prize, while all contestants get a chance 
to recuperate! 


(Truth. 


FEBRUARY 31 


Snub Nose Race. 


Three unfortunates are to kneel on one end of a sheet, 
and after having been given a cherry apiece, are told 


that they are to push their cherries to the other end of 


the sheet and back, using their noses as pushers. 
It might be well to have a supply of some soothing 
salve at hand! 


Nol 
$ 
‘ 


“Whe leader sweetly asks five guests to stand before 


_the other guests who are invited to prepare some ques- 


tions which would be painful to answer truthfully and 
which could be answered by the words ‘‘It was I!’’ The 
victims are then lined up and and the inquisition begins. 
Questioners must be recognized by the leader, and in 
turn they are given permission to ask the painful ques- 
tions which must be answered by the words ‘‘It was I!”’ 
One by one the victims take turns in answering 
questions. 

Beads of perspiration show the stress under which the 
minister is laboring when he answers the question, ‘‘ Who 
blew snuff around church last Sunday?’’ by answering 


“Tt was I!’ 


\\ Great Men. 


All guests form a large circle, three or four having 
been chosen to go into the center. Each guest is asked 
to take the name of some great person, man or woman, 
and to keep that name throughout the entire game. 
When they are ready they are told to get the assumed 
names of their neighbors on either side, and to be ready 
to give them at a second’s notice. At the hostess’ whis- 
tle each one of the people in the center suddenly turns 


32 THE FUN BOOK 


around, points a finger at someone who is not expecting 
it and asks the assumed names of the people on either 
side of the person at whom he is pointing. If that per- 
son fails to give the required information instantly, into 
the center he goes, changing places with the player who 
pointed his finger at him. If he is able to give it, his 
Inquisitor must try to catch someone else napping. The 
other people in the center have been asking the same 
information from other players at the same time. Sud- 
denly the leader calls out, ‘‘Change your neighbors!’’ 
and everyone is required by law to get a new set of 
neighbors. 

The game is continued for about five minutes. It will 
not take longer than that for George Washington to 
feel socially inclined to his erstwhile neighbors, Mary 
Pickford and Paul Revere. _- 


The Black Heart. 

Hearts of assorted colors are hidden. Most of the 
hearts are red; a few are green; some are yellow; one 
is black and one is blue. No information is given out 
until after the hunt is over as to what the different 
hearts might stand for or as to how they will be counted. 
The hostess may make any scale she chooses, but the 
following one has been used to good advantage. Red 
hearts count one apiece; green hearts put one in debt 
one apiece; yellow hearts put one on the list of cul- 
prits who are used as martyrs in contests; the finder of 
the blue heart gets a prize; while the finder of the black 
heart is used as the victim in some particularly awful 
hoax. 

When the final whistle is blown all guests are asked 
to sit facing the stage or one end of the room where the 


FEBRUARY 33 


hostess is waiting to take the count. She asks the finder 
of the black heart to come and stand at her right side, 
and the one who found the blue heart to stand on the 
other side. Then those who found yellow hearts are 
asked to raise their right hands, a list is taken and it 
is announced that they will have to be the contestants 
in a kiddy kar race. Next, those who found green hearts 
are to stand, and for every green heart they found they 
are to give up two red hearts. Finally, the one who 
found the most red hearts and the one who found the 
blue heart are given prizes, while the finder of the black 
heart is led forth to his punishment. 


Have a Heart! 

Guests are lined up as for a relay race. The first con- 
testant in each line is given a silver knife and a piece of 
wet soap. He is to race to the other end of the room 
and back and give his knife and soap to the next runner. 
However, before any runner can give his soap to the 
next runner he must dip it in the pan of water provided 
for this purpose. 

_ This does not exactly make for a more finished per- 
formance or for a speedier race. 


Washington Without Lincoln. 

The leader asks the group to try to be clever enough 
to follow her directions in the initiation ceremonial of 
the Washington Without Lincoln Association. Pointing 
to one player at a time she asks him to rise and imitate 
her when she says ‘‘ Washington without Lincoln”’ in 
a falsetto tone, at the same time waving her hands in 
a foolish fashion and glaring fiercely at her pupil. In 


34 THE FUN BOOK 


all probability he will get it all wrong so she picks out 
another pupil, changing all her tactics. ! 
Finally someone arrives. The facial expressions, the 
handwaving, etc., mean nothing whatsoever. The real 
point of it is to say ‘‘ Washington’’—without Lincoln! 


A. Penalty. 

As a penalty one guest is asked to stand before the 
sroup and number the words of the first verse and 
chorus of Yankee Doodle thus, ‘‘Yankee 1, Doodle 2, 
“went 3, to 4,’’ etc., ete. 


The Narrow Course. 

A long piece of white string is used as the ‘‘stem”’ 
which connects two cherries placed on the floor the width 
of the room apart. These two cherries with connecting 
stems form a race-course, there being a course for each, 
of the two or three contesting teams. The first one of 
each team stands on one of his cherries, and, when the 
signal is given must walk on the stem over to his other 
cherry, return and touch off the next player. This con- 
tinues until all players of a team have walked the 
straight and narrow path which George Washington 
walked. The team which first successfully walks the 
path gets the prize. 

However—there is always a ‘‘however’’ in this life— 
if any runner falls off the string and leaves the straight 
and narrow path, he must go back to the beginning and 
start again. Not so good. 


Refreshments. 


Refreshments should never be served to guests. They 
should always be asked to go and get their own. This 


FEBRUARY 35 


may be more trouble than to serve them, but it is in- 
finitely more social. It should be done in cafeteria 
style, with partners passing by a small window or open- 
ing and taking their food from the counter. However, 
they should be made to pay for the food. When they 
are all lined up in their cafeteria line, the leader an- 
nounces that no one will be given a bite to eat until he 
has demonstrated to the committee in charge how he 
can sob and weep as though his heart were broken. 

This sob-fest usually turns into tear-producing 
laughter. 


For Small Group 
Cupid. 

The outline of the form of a man is drawn in charcoal 
on a large red heart, the heart of this man being out- 
lined in charcoal too. This picture is pinned on a cur- 
tain. The guests are divided into two groups, men in 
one line and girls in the other, the first one in each line 
being given a slingshot and a small piece of tissue paper 
with which to make a paperwad. A bowl of water is 
at hand. When the signal is given, the first man and 
girl, standing about ten feet away from the heart, take 
turns in shooting their paper wads at the heart of the 
man to see which one can successfully act as Cupid and 
- come nearest to piercing the heart. The one who strikes 
the nearest wins a point for his side. In ease of a tie 
there is no score. The slingshots are then passed on to 
the next players who take their turn, all the players 
being provided with paper for paperwads and the sling- 
shot being passed from one to the other. 

The members of the team which gets the highest score 
of Cupid’s shots (and it will not be the girls!) get a 


36 THE FUN BOOK 


lollypop apiece, but these prizes are not given until both 
slingshots have been confiscated. If this were not a rule, 
there would soon be no party ! 


Complimentary Valentines. 

A great many advertisements from magazines are 
made available, together with paste and pins and scissors. 
Each guest in the five minutes allotted is to make a 
valentine for the guest whose name is written on the 
top of the large and rather heavy sheet of paper given 
him. 

These valentines are to represent exactly what the 
artist thinks of his subject. Tod Barret thinks Betsy 
Dolby a peach so he cuts out the picture of a large and 
luscious peach and pastes it on the top of his paper. 
He also thinks her a bit too fat so he adds a picture of 
reducing exercises. He doesn’t at all like the way she 
sings, so he adds a dog muzzle. He thinks she should 
so to church more often so on goes the picture of a little 
country church. He also thinks her heart is sluggish 
and needs stimulating so he concludes by pasting a 
large advertisement on the bottom urging her to ‘‘ Have 
Your Heart Examined!’’ 


Cherry Race. 


Guests are divided into two equal lines. The first one 
in each line is given three or four large cherries which 
he is to carry on the back of his hand. When the signal 
is given, these first two contestants with cherries on 
their hands race to the goal and back, and give their 
cherries to the next runner who does the same thing. 

If one cherry, or all the cherries (which is more 
likely !) roll off, the runner must pick them up unassisted. 


FEBRUARY 37 
My Heart Troubles. — 


~ Each guest puts the letters of his name in a column 
along the left margin of a piece of paper. These papers 
are gathered, mixed and passed around again, where- 
upon each guest diagnoses the heart troubles of the per- 
son the letters of whose name are written on his paper, 
by writing out adjectives beginning with these letters. 
After five minutes these are read aloud, and all casual- 
ties checked up. 

Jean Norris finds out that her heart is jaundiced, 
empty, absent, needless, naughty, ornery, rundown, 
rattled, icy and scandalous. 


My Future. 

This is played like My Heart Troubles except that 
one’s future 1s planned for one. Jean Norris might find 
that she was going to be a junkdealer, editor, an avia- 
trix, a nonentity, etc., etc., cruel world without end. 

Again, guests might help each other discover future 
fortunes, which could easily include for our friend Jean, 
~ jewels, elephants, alms, and nuts! 


Word Hunting. 

Complimentary words which could be used in mak- 
ing up valentines are written on small red hearts and 
hidden all around the room. The prize goes to the first 
one who finds enough words to make a logical and 
effusive valentine message. 


Valentine Hunt. 

Little favors are hidden all around the room, each one 
having on it the name of one of the guests. No one is 
allowed to tell another guest where his valentine is, but 


88 THE FUN BOOK 


each one must search until he finds his own valentine. 
Guests are warned that the last four to find their favors 
are to be victims in the Hearts and Flours Contest— 
than which nothing could be worse. 


My Dream. 

Each guest is to write his name on the top of his 
piece of paper and then pass it to his right-hand noigh- 
bor, who, from the magazine pages available makes a 
picture of the dream this first person had as to what he 
wanted for a sweetheart. 

These revelations passed around later make for human 
interest ! 


Fishpond. 

The old-fashioned ‘‘Fishpond’’ is played as a contest 
between two teams who fish for hatchets, or cherries, or 
hearts. The team which first succeeds in a successful 
haul for each of its members wins the prize. 


George and Martha. 
The old-fashioned ‘‘Ruth and Jacob’’ may be played 


using the names of George and Martha rather than Ruth 
and Jacob. 


Valentine Postoffice. 


A valentine is prepared and labeled for each guest, 
the valentine taking the shape of a small favor and 
Some good advice to go with it. Each guest is called 
up to the postoffice in turn, and he must open his pack- 
age and read aloud the advice. Edward Braun, for 
example, is given a nice white egg and advised to 
beat it. 


FEBRUARY 39 
Initial Stun ht (varualre 


Each guest is given a piece of paper on which he is 
asked to write his initials, initials which may yet be those 
of a great man, like Washington or Lincoln. These 
papers are collected, mixed up and passed around again. 
Guests are then asked to think of some ridiculous stunt, 
the words of which begin with the letter on the paper 
they hold. They are to write out brief directions for 
that stunt on the paper. When everyone has done this 
the papers are again collected, sorted out, and then 
passed to the ones whose initials are written out on the 
top of each piece of paper. 

Needless to say, the owners of the fatal initials are 
then privileged to obey the orders written out on their 
papers. It is carefully explained that all great men 
should be able to take orders. Even that does not make 
it easy for Charles Graham who is shy and never 
‘‘acted’’ in his life, to obey the order for ‘‘cute ges- 
tures,’’ but it is up to him to simper and cavort to the 
immense satisfaction of his onlookers; and the minister, 
whose name is Willis Nott, is politely but firmly re- 
quested to ‘‘wink naughtily.’’ Much against his wishes 
he has to wink naughtily at all the ladies present! 

His poor performance speaks well for his habits. 


Marooned. © 

The men form one circle and the girls another, the 
two circles being as far apart as possible so that the 
players in the two circles cannot see who is marooned 
each time. A large red paper heart is laid out in each 
circle in such a way that the players cannot avoid step- 
ping on it when marching around in a circle. Players 


40 THE FUN BOOK 


are told that they must walk across the heart and not 
jump over or around it. When the music starts they 
are to march around in a circle, and when the whistle 
suddenly blows and the music stops the one in each 
circle who is caught stepping on the heart is taken out 
by the leader, and these two awkward ‘‘offenders’’ are 
made partners. This continues until all of them have 
been caught marooned on the heart and have thus found 
partners. 


a 


three feet in diameter, and are made out of red paper. 

2. See Be-witched Hearts. 

3. See The Bump Reader. Guests’ hearts are read. 

4. See Christmas Messages. Valentine messages are 
sent down the line. 

5. See Piggy. Use a candy heart in the middle of the 
string. 

6. See Hidden Gifts, and Gifts on a String. Valen- 
tines or favors are used in place of gifts. 


CHAPTER III 
) MARCH 
For Either Large or Small Groups 


Wearing of the Green. 

Each guest has been warned to wear something vividly 
green in the most prominent place possible on his cloth- 
ing. It is hoped that some of the guests will forget, for 
the receiving committee is all set for those who chose 
to disregard the warning. A committee at the door 
carefully examines all guests as they come in, and if 
the green they are wearing is not sufficiently green or 
sufficiently prominent they pay the penalty of having 
to wear green spots the rest of the evening. The spots 
are circles of bright green paper, about one inch in 
diameter, with pieces of gummed paper pasted to the 
wrong side so that they may be wet and stuck on the 
face in the most unbecoming places the committee can 
find. | 

Green spots on the cheekbones always add greatly to 
one’s natural beauty. Any wearer of the spots who 
**loses’’ his two spots during the evening is given four 
spots as consolation. 

Another way of having ‘‘forgetters’’ pay a penalty 
is to have both ears decorated with large green bows 
which are to be worn all through the party, regardless 


of what this may do to individual styles of beauty. Nor 
41 


42 THE FUN BOOK 


are the bows to be attached to hair covering the ear. 
The bows are to be tied around the ear, both ears being 
fully exposed to the light of day. Every woman knows 
what that does to her beauty! 

If no one forgets to wear vivid green, the hostess 
appoints herself a committee of one to decide who is not 
sufficiently vivid and sufficiently green, thereby pro- 
viding herself with an alibi and with victims for the 
Wearing of the Green. 

Still another punishment is to have the men taken 
aside by the willing committee to have nice hair ribbons 
of brilliant green cheesecloth attached to a lock of their 
hair. They are to keep them there all evening. The 
failure to do so brings an additional penalty of having 
to serve as a victim in a hoax. Girls who are without 
some green adornment are given nice, large green neck- 
ties tied in a bow tie, and these too are to be worn all 
evening, regardless of how unbecoming they are to 
individual styles of beauty. 


Nicknames, 


Instead of asking guests to introduce themselves in 
perfectly proper fashion, ask them to do it in very 
improper fashion. Girls are lined up against one wall 
while men line up against the other. The first man is 
then asked to go across the room and introduce himself 
to the first girl, who introduces him to the second girl, 
and so he passes down the line of girls. He is closely 
followed by all the other men who in this manner are 
introduced to every girl present. 

But—only nicknames or first names are allowed, and 
they must be used through the entire evening. The 
resultant hilarity just about permanently cripples the 


MARCH 43 


laughing apparatus of some of the less hearty brothers 
and sisters. Imagine the social effect of calling one’s 

minister his college nickname, ‘‘Peanuts,’’ all through 
an evening! 


Shamrock Hunt. 

A great many shamrocks or, if possible, little paper 
snakes, are hidden all about the room. Guests form a 
circle and to the accompaniment of march-time music 
they march around in a circle. Suddenly a whistle 
~ blows, at which signal they are to break ranks and hunt 
for a shamrock. As soon as each one finds one he 
shouts, ‘‘ Hooray!’’ runs back to the center of the room, 
drops his shamrock in a basket held by the leader and 
joins the line of march around the room, the music 
being a continuous performance throughout the entire 
game. 

_A few seconds after they have all joined the march 
again the whistle is heard a second time, and again they 
all hunt for a shamrock, shouting ‘‘ Hooray !’’ when they 
find it and bringing it back to the leader before joining 
the marching circle. 

However, the supply of shamrocks soon runs out and 
it becomes a difficult matter to find a shamrock which is 
not present. The leader starts to count immediately 
after she blows her whistle, and anyone who cannot pro- 
duce a shamrock before she counts to twenty is given a 
seat of honor, which seat is located on the floor in the 
middle of the room where a large rug or newspapers 
have been placed. All the players who were successful 
in their search march around them, but gradually the 
*“Hoorays!’’ grow fewer, the outer circle gets smaller, 
and the inner one correspondingly larger. The prize 


4:4. THE FUN BOOK 


goes to the last person to find a shamrock and ask 


‘* Hooray !”? : ae y 


How Do You Do! if : 

As a St. Patrick’s Day mixer vie a group of young 
people who are not quite sure that they are going to 
have a good time, there is nothing more mixing, men- 
tally and socially, than this game. It is so futile to ask 
guests to ‘‘shake hands and be social!’’ There is no 
incentive, and the only ones who respond to the request 
are those who do it from a sense of duty. But a sense 
of duty is hardly conducive to a truly social spirit, 
so instead of appealing to a sense of duty let a leader 
appeal to her guests’ sense of humor, as well as their 
sense of safety first! 

The leader announces that guests are to shake hands 
with each other while soft sweet music is heard; that 
suddenly her whistle will blow and the music stop, and 
that all guests who are shaking the hand of another 
guest are to hold those joined hands high in the air and 
shout ‘‘How do you do!’’ so that the leader can easily 
see that they are obeying orders and are shaking hands 
in all good faith. 

Any guest who is not at that particular moment 
shaking the hand of some other guest is—out of luck! 
He will be spied by the leader, his name will be taken, 
and he will be used as a victim later on in the evening 
in some hoax. This unfortunate usually thinks that he is 
then to drop out of the handshake game, but after his 
name is taken he must get back into the group and take 
his chance of getting caught again without a fellow 
handshaker when the next whistle blows. 

This announcement is always sufficient to start the 


MARCH 46 


most unsocial group ever assembled into violently shak- 
ing the hands of any and every other person present. 
The leader makes it plain too, in no uncertain terms, 


that no one is allowed to continue shaking hands with 


the same person. This continues for about three or four 
minutes, the whistle blowing at intervals of thirty sec- 
onds and the leader immediately searching the crowd 
for unsocial laggards who are not at that moment en- 
gaged in earnestly shaking the hand of some other guest. 


“="""Y£ she likes, the leader may announce that both hands 


; 


must be ‘‘shook’’ and held up in the air when the whistle 
blows; or that guests must shake hands backwards or 
left-handed. 

It will hardly be necessary to urge a group to be 
‘*social’’ after a handshake of that kind. 


\ Muddy March. 


Contestants are lined up as for a relay race, the first 
one in each line being given two waste baskets. When 
the starting signal is given each of these first con- 
testants is to put his right foot in one of his baskets, 
put the empty basket one step ahead, and then put his 


left foot in that; take his right foot out of its basket, 


put that basket one step ahead, and so forth, continuing 
in this manner all the way to the goal and return, giv- 
ing his basket to the next runner. 

Contestants are not allowed to shuffle along with both 
feet in baskets. They will try to. 


March Madness. 

The place in which this race is to be run should be 
made as clear of furniture as is possible. There should 
be two lines of contestants, with about three in each 


46 THE FUN BOOK 


line. The first one in each line is given a cane and at a 
signal is to plant the cane firmly on the floor, put his 
forehead down on the head of the cane, and keeping 
it there, is to walk around in a circle five times, count- 
ing out loud. When he has finished the fifth round he 
is to walk as rapidly as possible to the other end of the 
room, touch the wall, and then go back to give the cane 
to the next contestant who does the same thing. 

The line which first completes this wins a prize and 
a long rest. 

After a leader had tried this stunt himself he will 
understand the advice to have the room cleared of fur- 
niture as far as possible. The first time the writer tried 
it she did her best to walk over the piano. Onlookers 
may think the wild courses taken by the contestant after 
the round and round process are exaggerated in their 
zigzaggedness. 


Mashed Potatoes. 


Two men are asked to kneel down before chairs on 
which have been placed saucers of mashed potatoes, one 
for each. When the signal is given they are to start 
in eating their potato without the use of their hands. 
The decorative effect on their faces will soon be notice- 
able, this last being a conservative statement. Even 
the handsomest man will look somewhat goofy with 
mashed potato all over his face, his nose bearing the 
greater share of the burden. 


One Third of a Pig. 

If there are more girls than men present (and there 
will be) let the men take chairs and sit in a large cir- 
cle, each man seeing to it that there is a vacant chair 


MARCH 47 


at his right. All the girls and women form a circle out- 
side this ring of chairs and to the accompaniment of 
music they march around until suddenly the music 
stops. This is the signal for them to get a chair—and 
a man—and to immediately begin talking to that man. 
All girls who did not get a chair and a man become 
one third of a pig, and everyone is asked to notice 
expressly who they are. But any ‘‘third’’ who sees a 
girl who has captured a chair and a man but is not in 
conversation: with that man, may quickly call the leader’s 
attention to it, and change places with the unsocial girl 
who then becomes a third of a pig. 

The leader allows exactly one minute for conversation 
and then asks all girls to march around the outside 
again, repeating the same performance. Each time a 
airl ‘‘misses out’’ she becomes another third. There are 
only three thirds to a pig, however, and when a girl 
has come to that regrettable state of affairs she is to rise 
and give her best possible imitation of a pig’s ‘‘Oi, o1!”’ 
all through the conversation period. 


Emerald Isle. 

“Several “Emerald Isles’’ are cut out of large pieces 
of green paper. These isles are placed on the floor in 
such a way that the guests, all of whom have taken 
partners and formed a double circle, cannot avoid cross- 
ing the isles in their marching. When the music starts 
everyone marches around in a circle, no one being 
allowed to jump over or straddle the isles, but being 
obliged to go directly across Ireland. Suddenly the 
music stops, and anyone caught on Irish territory is 
taken to the platform or some other prominent place. 
This continues until the circle gets so small that the 


48 THE FUN BOOK 


isles must be moved closer together. The last couple 
to stay in the circle without getting caught in Ireland 
gets the prize. 


It is not entirely forbidden for the pianist to watch j oa 
the different couples and/ to stop the music just asa | ~» 


stoutish couple is about to step in Ireland. Their efforts 
to keep from completing that step are a Py ipemn to look 
upon. 


Complimentary Abbreviations. 

All guests are seated, resting after some strenuous 
game. As a very brief fill-in before starting some more 
lengthy game the leader may ask everyone present to 
crook his forefinger under the chin of his right-hand 
neighbor, and then very quickly and without stopping 
to think, to give the abbreviation for quart. They will 
look like ‘‘Cuties!’’ 

They are then asked to point their fingers at tien 

neighbors’ head and just as quickly to give the abbre- 
viation for mountain. 

The leader takes no responsibility whatsoever for re- 
sultant arguments! 


Piggy. 

A candy shamrock has been placed in the middle of 
a string which is about one yard long. A fat man is 
placed at either end of the string. When the signal is 
given both contestants put their end of the string in 
their mouths and start to chew their way to the sham- 
rock. The one who gets to it first certainly deserves it 
for a prize. 


Flat-heads. 
All guests are divided into lines of equal length, the 
first one in each line heing given a large potato. When 


ee 


MARCH 49 


the signal is given all these first players put their po- 
tatoes on their heads, run to the goal and return, and 
give their potatoes to the next runners. That is, they 
-may run as long as the potato stays on their heads, but 
few of us are flat-headed enough to be able to balance a 
potato on our heads and run at the same time! When- 
ever the potato falls, the runner himself must pick it 
up and put it back on his head before he can continue. 


~ Pan Balance. 

This is played exactly like the race above except that 
the potato is placed on a pie tin which must be balanced 
on the head during the race. 


. Potato Relays. 


1. Groups are divided into columns of equal length, 
all players facing the front of the room. A potato is 
passed down the line over the heads of the players. The 
team which wins two out of three events wins the 
contest. 

2. This may be used with the potato in a pan as it is 
in Pan Balance. 

3. Potatoes must be rolled to goal and return. 

4, Each contestant must peel a potato. This is par- 
ticularly good for men contestants. 

5. Contestants are on roller skates and balance pota- 
toes on heads. 


A Mad March Party. 


Hverything is jumbled in this party, from the invita- 
tions to the refreshments. Invitations are as incoherent 
as it is possible to make them, guests being invited to 
stay away from the party; then given explicit direc- 


50 THE FUN BOOK 


tions as to how to get there; how to dress for the party 
—to wear one white and one black shoe, or a bedroom 
slipper and a riding boot; to carry a fan and a muff. 

The decorations should be just as mixed up, an onion 
and a carnation joining forces in one vase; an empty 
kerosene can forming the receptacle for a lovely bunch 
of roses. Games should be of the Hallowe’en and April 
Fool type, including tricks, and blindfolded and back- 
ward contests. 


A Trip to Ireland. 


The group is divided into two teams. A ‘‘race- 
course’’ has been carefully planned by the committee in 
charge. Each team is taken in charge by a leader who 
leads his team to the place in the building which is the 
farthest distant from the room in which the refresh- 
ments are to be served. The two teams are thus as far 
apart as they can possibly be, and at the same time are 
at equal distances away from the refreshments. When 
a shrill whistle is heard, both teams start racing for 
the dining-room and the one that gets there first is to be 
served by the losing team. 

However, there are obstacles to overcome. All mem- 
bers of a team must have hands on the shoulders of the 
one in front of them, and must keep them there. The 
line must be unbroken at the time it reaches the ‘dining- 
room. Also, the race-course must be as full of difficul- 
ties as the committee can make it. It should be a wind-. 
ing course, up stairways and down stairways, through 
cellars and over boxes and chairs, the committee being 
very careful to have the two courses equally difficult! 

The guests will have earned their refreshments by 
the time they have taken this course. Add to this the 


MARCH 51 


fact that they are racing against another team—and 
there will be excitement aplenty. 


he 


For Small Groups — 


* Potato Jerusalem. ) og 


This is played on the principle of the old-fashioned 
‘Going to Jerusalem’’ but potatoes are used instead of 
chairs. Players form a circle and when the music stops 
snatch for one of the potatoes which have been placed 
in a circle on the floor. The one who does not get one 
ooes to the center of the circle. Each time one more 
potato is taken away from the circle, so the lonesome 
person in the center will soon have plenty of company. 


Kiss the Blarney Stone. 


Six or seven of the guests are asked to leave the room 
and are brought in one at a time; are blindfolded and 
asked to kiss the Blarney Stone three times. The first 
two times they kiss a stone over which a clean piece of 
gauze is placed for each contestant. The third time, 
however, they receive a salty answer to their kisses. A 

_ large lump of salt is substituted for the rock. 


Blarney. 


Partners are found in the following manner :—Men 
go to one side of the room and form a line while the 
women go to the other. They draw shamrocks from a 
hat, each shamrock bearing a number, those of the girls 
corresponding with the numbers of the men. When they 
all have their shamrocks and their numbers the leader 
asks the first man in the line to call out his number 
loudly and to blarney his unknown partner by telling 


52 THE FUN BOOK 


her just what he thinks is the loveliest thing about her. 
After he has delivered his blarney the girl who has the 
corresponding number steps out and the two go to the 
sidelines together to listen in on the other blarneying. 
This continues all down the line until all of the men 
have found partners and all the girls have been duly 
blarneyed. 

To her dying day prim Miss Simpson will thrill over 
the fact that Captain Brooks told her she was as a lovely 
summer morn! 


Note the following adaptations: 

1. See The Vicious Donkey. Use a pig. 

2. See Egg Balance. Use potatoes. 

3. See Hooray! Substitute St. Patrick for George 
Washington. 

4. See Cherry Race. Use potatoes. 


CHAPTER IV 


fia Ti 
3 SP * mer 
= + jit. 


For Either Large or Small Groups 


A large sign is hung on the outside of the house, 
reading ‘‘Not at home!’’ If the party is to be given at 
night this sign should be illuminated. 

As guests come in the front door a hand is extended 
in greeting through a curtain at the side. However, 
when it is grasped for a handshake it does the most un- 
canny thing a hand can do—it comes off! 

It is, of course, a stuffed glove held through the cur- 
tain by means of a stick. As soon as it is grasped the 
stick is withdrawn. There are more pleasant sensations. 

Signs may be hung all around the rooms wishing the 
~ guests a ‘‘Merry EHaster!’’ a ‘‘Happy Labor Day!’’ and 
a fond ‘‘Good night !’’ 

Misguided proverbs too, add to the seriousness of the 
occasion. ‘‘He laughs best who gathers no moss!’’ is 
very much to the point. 

Rebecca’s motto, ‘‘ When joy and duty clash let duty 
go to smash!’’ is always welcomed at an April Fool 
party. : 

Other signs warn guests that as they sew so shall 
they rip; that they can kid gloves but they can’t string 
beans. 

53 


54 THE FUN BOOK 


Let us hope there is no significance attached to the 
signs bearing the words ‘‘There is no place like home’’; 
‘‘Speed the parting guest!’’ ‘‘For rent!’’ ‘‘To be 
vacated !”’ 
! Decorations are April Foolish with a vengeance. A 

little tin shovel with a coy bit of red ribbon tied to 
its handle hangs in a door way. A frying pan hangs in 
another doorway. A flour sifter with artificial flowers 
in it graces the piano. The shade has been removed 
from a tall lamp and a floor mop is tied to it in such 
a way that the mop takes the place of the shade. News- 
papers substitute for rugs and curtains. Hideous 
chromos are hung on the walls, as are the blatant mot- 
toes and signs mentioned above. 

The receiving line should be very cool in its welcome 
of the guests and pretend to know none of them, asking 
in each case, ‘‘The name, please?’’ 


False Fronts. 

If the guests have been able to stand up under this 
effusively cordial hospitality they are invited to take 
off their wraps and put on the false faces which each 
guest was asked to bring. These false faces may be 
ever so impromptu and home-madey. It is always wise 
for the committee to have some extra false faces at 
hand for those who forgot to bring their own. 

As each guest puts on his false face he also pins on 
a large number which the hostess has given him. In 
every way he is to disguise his personality and his voice 
so that when the first event of the evening is announced 
he may be ‘‘protected.’’ Guests are given cards and 
pencils and are told to find out who is behind the various 
April Fool faces. As soon as they can discover an 


APRIL 55 


identity they put down the name and number of the 
individual. At the end of a ten minute interval the 
hostess calls for all the cards, and while another game 
is going on the cards are checked up. 

The guest whose identity was guessed the most times 
is called upon to pay a heavy penalty. The guest who 
correctly guessed the most identities is given a shiny 
policeman’s star and is privileged to act as policeman 
for the rest of the evening, and check up and fine any 
guests who are not coming up to his particular idea of 
April Fool Jollification. 

He may‘fine Mrs. Morrison, who is weak from laugh- 
ter, for being such a killjoy, and little Mr. Carson pays 
a penalty for having feet too big for any party! 

These April ool faces are to be worn through at 
least half an hour of the evening’s fun. If there is any- 
thing more ridiculous or moxg socializing than a group 
of solemn or hideous false faces playing games I have 
yet to see it. 


No Fair! 

Nothing ever was or ever will be any funnier than 
this April Fool stunt. One of the most socially inclined 
guests is privately told that a newcomer in the group 
is extremely deaf, and that it would be a kindness to 
single him out and be nice to him and talk to him, being 
sure to shout directly in his ear. The newcomer is told 
the same thing about this man. 

Under some pretext, and quite as a casual thing, both 
of them are sent out of the room on separate errands. 
While they are gone the group is told the situation and 
asked to help along the delusion. 

To see two men, both of them possessed of perfect 


56 THE FUN BOOK 


hearing, shouting in each other’s ears, laboring under 
the impression that they are doing their painful duty, 
is a sight to make strong men weep! 


An April Foolish Mixer. 

Large molasses kisses are passed around. After the 
paper is taken off they are to be put in the mouth entire 
and chewed, while guests pass down the receiving line 
shaking hands with other guests and calling them by 
name. This last is made inevitable by having a receiv- 
ing line stand in place while all guests form a line, alter- 
nating a man and a girl; each one in turn goes up to the 
receiving line, introduces himself, shakes hands with each 
one in the line and then becomes a part of it, standing 
next to the last one in line. 

The rule of calling every other guest by name, as well 
as shaking hands, should be strictly enforced. While 
enunciation could hardly be ‘said to be improved by 
an accompaniment of the chewing of molasses kisses, 
nevertheless the resulting difficulties surely do effect the 
social spirit of a group most favorably ! 

To greet the minister with ‘‘Good eyening Reverend 
Ridenbaugh!’’ with a mouth full of a molasses kiss, calls 
for a nimble tongue, a large mouth and a social spirit. 


April Fool Jump. 

Three or four stout men are chosen—with friendly 
determination on the part of the leader—for the victims 
in this race. A washline is stretched across the room, 
some two feet off the floor. In order to get an idea of 
its height these men are asked to try Jumping across it 
in turn, as they are to jump it blindfolded in a few 
minutes. After they have all jumped it with their eyes 


APRIL 57 


open they are blindfolded at the same time and one at 
a time are faced in the right direction and told to jump 
the rope blindfolded. 

In the meantime the rope has been removed. Three 
substantial citizens of the community making a frantic 
jump over a rope which is not present, do not exactly 
ymake for a solemn occasion. 


»/ 

~., April Fool Harmonics. 

iy There is nothing more April Foolish than this stunt. 

_ Two people who really can sing are asked to sing a 
duet. Then for an encore they sing another duet, but 
this time both the singers and the accompanist get con- 
fused and each one carefully chooses a key which is en- 
tirely different from the ones the other two are using. 
The soprano may sing in one flat, the alto in two sharps, 
while the pianist plays in C natural, all of them keeping 
their faces perfectly straight all the while. 

However, the audience is funnier than the perform- 
ance. First there is evidence of pain; then of wonder- 
ment as to whether it is supposed to be right or not; 
and finally the pent-up pain will not be contained any 
longer and the performers are inevitably drowned out in 

/ the helpless laughter of the audience! 


Deformity Race. 
Contestants must first race as though they were 
knock-kneed. Next they must toe in, and finally, toe out. 


April Fool Races. 

Any backward or blindfolded race, or a contest in 
which the contestant’s feet are tied together or ham- 
pered in some way, serve very well as April Fool Races, 


pot ft i x vt ‘i ae ¥ wv Wier. Ho Ode 
Pet. 


Ay, Ko z 4 bth. TAAUAA (a dh he aga 7 he 


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58 op dl ia. THE PUN | Book™! 
{ Ph ae 


fy bas CE: VE 
April Fool Hunt. rf ve 43 aa 
Guests are asked to search for hidden candies. Two 
very lovely prizes are exhibited as an incentive. 


It does not take more than an hour or so for the 
hunters to discover that the hidden candies—ain’t! gig 


April Fool Locomotion. +, 

No April Fool party is complete without a kiddy kar te 
race. If ever contestants did look April Foolish! Four ~*~ 
of the stoutest or longest men are invited (which is 
hardly the word!) to run this race, the four of them 
making two teams, two men on a team. The first one of 
each team is given a kar and at the signal sits down on 
it and without a push from his partner starts propelling 
his kar to the goal. 

Ofttimes he only starts. If he does get back he gives 
his kiddy kar to the other member of his team who goes 
through the same torment. 

April Fool Spelldown. 

Words must be spelled backwards, the leader giving a 
certain time limit to each speller. One hard-hearted 
teacher gave Russian names at a recent April Fool 
Spelldown! 

The Vicious Donkey. 

The picture of a donkey with a huge ear is drawn in 
charcoal on a large piece of white paper. About ten of 
the guests or a losing team are asked to go into another 
room and are brought back one at a time. As each one 
is brought in he is shown the picture of the donkey, and 
told that after he is blindfolded he is to go up and poke 
his finger in the donkey’s ear. He is then blindfolded, 
led up to the donkey, and told to poke ahead! 


APRIL 59 


Just as he is about to poke, one of the leader’s 
assistants who has been ‘‘casually’’ standing near the 
donkey, kneels down and as the exploring forefinger is 
- about to touch the picture he gives that finger a ees 
bite. 

It never takes very long for the blindfolder to come 
off! The healthy bite is accomplished by using some toy 
animal with teeth, or one of those large clips with which 
office papers are clipped together; anything in fact that 
will give a most unpleasant sensation to a blindfolded 
person who is about to poke his finger in a donkey’s ear. 

To be bitten, even gently, when one is blindfolded is a 
real sensation. 


April Fool Mending Party. 

For a group of women this 7s an April Fool event. 
Their invitations ask them to bring a bit of difficult 
mending along, something which they have rather 
dreaded doing themselves. After all the guests have 
arrived the hostess asks them to exchange mending, sight 
unseen. 


Le" Refreshments. 


It would not be amiss to have garlic in the refresh- 
ments. 

It might help too to pass around perfectly bona fide 
candies. Guests always avoid candy on April Fool’s 
Day. The refreshment committee can feast on the dis- 
dained candy after the company goes home! 

To make the supper hour truly April Foolishly formal, 
guests are given the most impossible hats which the 
hostess has been able to find. Each guest must wear his 
hat all through the supper hour. If there is anything 


60 THE FUN BOOK 


funnier than a large, fat man wearing a lady’s little hat, 
the hat being trimmed with pink ribbon and forget-me- 
nots,—the man all the time trying to look unconscious of 
his appearance—it has escaped my observation. 

The napkins are squares of cheesecloth; the chairs are 
wooden boxes; the dishes are paper containers; and the 
silver takes the shape of tin spoons. 

For a further assurance that all guests are perfectly 
at ease, the hostess announces that anyone who eats with 


his right hand instead of his left will have all his re- / 4 37 


freshments taken away from him, 


ae Le 4 
EASTER /¢ S| OvpRAe . 
For Small Groups < 


Rabbits’ Ears. 


As each guest comes in and takes off his wraps he is 
given a headdress peculiarly suited to the season. It is 
a pair of rabbits’ ears, which can easily be made or 
bought. They are usually made of white crepe paper, 
and are wired so that they will stand appropriately— 
and unbecomingly—straight up into the air. They may 
be fastened on with hairpins. 

These ears lend atmosphere to any social function. 
The Musical Egg. \ 

The hostess passes a hard-boiled egg to her right-hand 
neighbor with instructions for her to hold it while she 
sings up the scale. After the holder of the egg sings she 
quickly passes on the egg to her right-hand neighbor. 
This guest too must hold it until she sings up the scale 
before passing it on to her neighbor. The object is to 


APRIL 61 


sing the scale and to get rid of the egg as soon as pos- 
sible in order not to be caught with it at the crucial 
moment, these crucial moments being determined by the 
hostess who blows a tiny whistle at intervals of thirty 
seconds. Any guest caught with the egg in her hand 
when the whistle blows is listed. These listed guests are 
later on invited to pay the penalty of their ‘‘careless- 
ness.”’ 

It is remarkable how many guests who just cannot 
sing up the scale, can sing up the scale in certain situa- 
tions! | 


«The Feminist Easter Bonnet. 

Each guest is given a man’s old hat. It may be a 
derby or an old straw hat, any kind of a man’s hat. 
The name of the guest is pasted inside. (The writer’s 
advice to the hostess is that it should be an old hat!) 

On the table are placed bits of brightly colored ribbon 
and chiffon, flowers, feathers, and any kind of ornament 
that would lend dignity to a man’s hat. Needles, thread, 
pins and scissors are provided. When the signal is given 
each guest is given exactly two minutes in which to put 
some ornament on his hat. At the end of that two min- 
utes, no matter how incomplete his work is, he is to pass 
his hat to his right-hand neighbor and in turn to receive 
one from his left-hand neighbor. Trimmers are again 
given two minutes in which to add to the artistic develop- 
ment of these hats, after which they are again passed to 
the right. 

. This continues until the hats come back to their orig- 
- Inal owners, who, it must be. confessed, do not always 
recognize them but have to look inside for their identifi- 
cation tickets! The one who must own up to the worst- 


62 THE FUN BOOK 


looking hat is obliged to wear it during the rest of the 
party, while the owner of the best-looking hat is given 
the hat as a reward for his skill. 

If the hostess has a shock-proof eye she may ask all 
guests to wear their hats for the rest of the evening. 

' Fortune Telling Eggs. | 7 3S | 

Each guest is given an Easter egg, painted in a color 
which is light enough so that writing done on the sur- 
face of the egg can easily be deciphered. Guests are 
given pencils and are asked to write their initials on the 
large end of these eggs. The eggs are then collected, 
mixed up and again passed around. Guests are then 
given exactly one minute in which to write the answers 
to each of the questions the hostess asks, the only require- 
ment being that they use the initials on their eggs for 
the first letters of the two words to their answers. 
Answers must be written on the eggs. 

The following is the list of questions for which the 
hostess wishes two-worded answers: 

What does he look like? 
How old is he? 

What does he sing like? 
His pet hobby? 

His one hope? 

His saving grace? 

After all the questions are answered the eggs are again 
collected, and again mixed up and passed around, this 
time for reading. Each guest in turn reads the initials 
on his egg, gives the name of the person to whom the 
initials belong, and then reads the descriptive sketch. 

Imagine the amazement of stout Henrietta Forbes 
when she hears that she looks like a helpless feather- 


> oR go Po 


APRIL 63 


weight; that she is ‘‘Heaven forbid!’”’ as to age; that 
her pet hobby is nOPD aE Soria 


sil “The Egg Balance. ; Y oF : 

Guests are asked to line up in two lines, the first one 
in each line being given a yardstick and an egg which is 
hardboiled, very hardboiled! When the signal is given 
these first contestants race to the end of the room and 
back balancing their eggs on their yardsticks. They 
give the sticks and the eggs to the next one in line. This 

continues until all members of a team have raced, the 
team to finish first being given a box of Haster candies 
which they may or may not divide with their slower fel- 
-low guests, just as they like. If an egg falls off the stick 
the runner must pick it up, go back to the starting point, 
get another egg and begin over again. 

We say ‘‘the runner,’’ but we have yet to see the guest 


the dangerous end of a yardstick. 


Easter Eggshell Contest. 

The contents of eggs are blown out and the empty shell 

must be blown to the goal and return. 

An eggshell may be used as a football on a table, the 
objeet being for the two opposing teams to blow the foot- 
ball over the enemy’s goal line (far edge of the enemy’s 
territory). 


The Red-eared Bunny. 

A small bunny with bright red ears is put on display 
before the guests, with the explanation that this bunny 
is to be hidden somewhere in the room in such a way 
that only his ears will be visible; that when the signal 


who can do any running while he is balancing an egg on Wy Wg 


64 THE FUN BOOK 


is given guests are to go and look for the red ears; that 
when they find them they are to say nothing at all about 
it, but to sit calmly and sing as musically as they can 
some song published at least five years ago, no two guests 
being allowed to sing the same song. 

By the time that all but one guest have found the red 
ears there will probably be need of smelling salts and ear 
muffiers. The last guest to find the ears is requested to 
stand and sing K-K-Kay. Any guest who sits down 
without singing—whether he can or not—pays the same 
penalty as the last one to find the ears. 


Note the following adaptations: 

42) Seat Discard.) Meet a, 

2. See a Snappy Happy New Year. Use ‘‘A happy 
- Kaster to you!’’ 

3. See Piggy. Use a prune. 

4. See A Mad March Party. 


Cr uF ta £* aes! 
CA HALA eet 


pb ear 


Bets. < 4 2. ‘hb Ae fea as 


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Moe CHAPTER v Us blbed € 
| MAY ; 

For Either Large or Small Groups 


Discard. 

May is the time for all good housekeepers to clean 
house and to put in the discard all the undesirable and 
unnecessary articles of clothing which have been hanging 
about the house all winter. (HEather’s favorite fishing 
clothes.are.a good example.) 

Guests have been asked to bring some piece of wearing 
apparel which has found its way into the discard and 
which they no longer want. Before they appear in the 
social hall they are asked to put on that discarded piece 
of apparel and to wear it until someone else asks - for it 
in exchange for > the thing he ‘wishes to eet rid of. These 
things must be worn all evening, one’s only hope resting 
on the chance of being able to change one’s own misfit 
for that of someone else. At the close of the evening’s 
program all these discards are put in a box for some 
charitable institution, — 

If you think it, makés for a more solemn occasion for 
the minister to go “hout all evening wearing his wife’s 


faded hug-me-tight which he can wish off on no one else, 


you really aremistaken. 


Men's s Fashion Show. 


YEP RNG Baster § seems to be the time for displaying 
65 


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yar 


Pry 
3 


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2 


66 THE FUN BOOK 


new spring clothes, people are always interested in lovely 
dresses and hats and wraps, especially when the models 
are unique. The models for this Fashion Show are 
unique to say the least. The mannikins for the display 
are men taken from the group of guests, men who have 
in no way been prepared for this bit of publicity. The 
displays themselves and the general order of things have 
been carefully worked out beforehand by the committee 
in charge so there may be no hitch in the proceedings. 
It is unnecessary to add that the announcer is given free 
rein! 

The mannikins are of course dressed up behind the 
scenes. It is hard enough on the audience to see the 
finished product. Nuan. = CUAL UVCHe «6 

The mannikin selected by the aidrerids as i ae: the 
most touchingly lovely is.given-a-vanity Case-as-a- prize. 


Se Spring Flowers. 


The entire group is divided into smaller groups, each 
of the small groups being assigned the name of some 
flower and asked to prepare a pantomime which will in 
some way show the character of the flower they represent. 

The following flowers have been used to good advan- 
tage: 

1. The poppy. (Heads representing flowers pop up 
everywhere. ) 
The modest violet. 
Tulip. 
Rose. (Much rising). 
Forget-me-not. 
Sweet William. 
Thistle. 
Sunflower (son-flour). 


Cl SEER IE anesthe 


MAY 67 


9. Jack in the Pulpit. 
10. Four o’clock. 
11. Dandelion. 
12. Ladies’ Slippers. 


Men are asked to file past a certain table on which 
have been placed various kinds of wraps, hats, furs, rib- 
bons, umbrellas, gloves, flowers and the like. Each man 
is given a small bundle of these things by the committee 
in charge, whereupon he immediately goes to his partner 
and proceeds to dress her up in the things at hand. The 
ladies are warned against being of any assistance to their 
partners. 

After the five minutes allowed all couples line up for 
the grand march which will lead past the judges, who 
look with critical—and oftimes hysterical—eye on the 
handiwork of mere man. The man who best succeeded 
in really making his partner look like something gets a 
lady’s pocket handkerchief as a prize, while the man 
whose unfortunate partner looks the most terrific gets a 
he-man’s bandanna. 


«) Spring Beauties Race. 
_ fter the flower families have done their stunts in 


Spring Flowers, each family selects a leader and then 
forms a line behind him, each one putting his hands on 
the shoulders of the one in front of him. These teams 
line up at the back of the room, the leader seeing to it 
that the lines are even. The daffodils help to fill out the 
roses’ line if there are not enough roses, and the pinks 
help the anemones, the point being that all families must 
have an even number. When they are all ready the 


68 THE FUN BOOK 


leader announces a race between families. Opposite 
each team is a human ‘‘post’’ around whom the team 
must run. 

Each event is different, the hostess calling out the dif- 
ferent events and keeping score of the winning team of 
each event. The first one is a walking race. Hands 
must be kept on shoulder throughout the race! The next 
time they are allowed to run; next, to hippity hop; and 
lastly, to sing as loudly as they can while they are hop- 
ping on one foot! No team is counted as a winning team 
if the line is broken at the finish. 

It is not only the winning team that deserves a prize. 


Adornment. 

“The committee has collected a number of small things 
which are usually used for purposes of personal adorn- 
ment, enough of them so that every guest may have one 
—whether he wants one or not. Most of them are things 
which have been put into the discard, like a faded arti- 
ficial rose; an old hat; a shawl; a pair of lace mits; a 
gaudy fan; or a fancy comb. About half-way through 
the evening’s program these evidences of an earlier 
vanity are put into grabbags, the guests filing past the 
bags and taking just one ‘‘grab.’’ Whatever they draw 
must be worn the rest of the evening. 

The picture Mr. Graves makes in an Eton jacket is 
something to remember. 


Spring Will Come. 

Pour well chosen victims are asked to sit in chairs — 
before the group, are blindfolded and then asked to say 
as loudly as possible ‘‘Spring will come!’’ the object 
being to see which one can open his mouth the widest 


MAY 69 


and hold the ‘‘come’’ longest without taking a new 
breath. Each participant has a timekeeper who will 


_ time him and measure the width of his open mouth as 


compared to the other open mouths. 

That is, that is the obvious duty of the timekeepers. 
Their real duty is a different matter. Just as their vic- 
tims have opened their mouths they urge them to open 
up a bit wider, and at that crucial moment they drop a 
bit of quinine powder on their tongues to stimulate 
action ! 


The Garden.Maze..... 


Sess 


“Guests stand in fies of equal length. In front of each 
line is placed a row of ten Indian clubs which will look 
exactly like rows of delicate flowers in a garden. At the 
starting signal the first runner in each row starts to hip- 
pity hop his way through the row of ‘‘flowers’’ in his 
garden, passing one club at the right, the next one at the 
left, and so on down the line of clubs. If a club falls 
down it must be put back in place before the hippity 
hopper can continue. 

Can you see what will happen to the other clubs when 
a person stoops over to set one club upright? 


sh aS , 
he team which made the poorest showing in the Gar- 


den Maze is gently but firmly requested to give an 
exhibition of fancy skating before a group of judges. 
Whether they can or not all these delinquents are asked 
to pair off in couples and to skate to the goal and back, 
doing the most elaborate skating of which they are 
capable. 

This last event has been known to precipitate back- 
sliding among prominent churchmembers! 


70 THE FUN BOOK 


A May Walk. 

About six couples take this May Walk, two couples to 
each team, the girls standing in front of the men whe 
put their hands on their partners’ shoulders. When the 
signal is given the first couple of each team is to walk to 
the goal and return to touch off the next couple of their 
team. The team which first accomplishes this gets one 
point to its credit. The next time they must run to the 
goal and return; then hippity hop; and lastly, after the 
whistle blows they are to turn around and come back- 
wards. 

In all four events the girl stays in front, her partner 
being behind her with both hands on her shoulders. 
Women are always pushed so much more easily than 
they are pulled! 


Flowerlike Faces. 


A team which has won no events is quietly taken out 
of the room before the others have much time to see who 
the members are. They are taken behind a large paper 
curtain on which has been drawn in colored crayon the 
stem and leaves of almost any kind of flower, the place 
for the head of the flower being cut out and left vacant. 
Then each of these victims in turn is to put his face in 
the opening and keep it there until the audience has 
guessed who he is. 

But—his face has gone through sad changes. In every 
possible way every face is changed to look as far from 
natural as possible. Those who wear glasses are asked 
to part with them and to give them to those who never 
wear them. Little patches of whiskers, heavy artificial 
eyebrows, blackened teeth, huge paper noses, flower-cov- 
ered ears, rouge, heavy white powder, lipstick, false 


MAY 71 


braids ‘‘orange peeling teeth,’’ paper-stuffed cheeks, and 

blackened eyelashes,—every means of disguise is used to 

hide the identity of the owner of each face. The one 
- whose identity it takes the audience longest to guess gets 

a false face as a prize. 

Regular Fashion Show. 


EE eae EO EHC A INR, 


For a group of girls or women a Conan fashion 
show is very much to the point. The whole affair has 
been arranged so that a ‘‘ wrong version’’ of a fashion is 
shown, and after the audience fully appreciates all its 
bad points the correct version is shown. 

For example, a girl dressed in a knicker suit and high- 
heeled pumps and jade earrings is one preview ae 


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ind Parthory. 

After some game in which partners have been together 
for at least three or four minutes, all the men are asked 
to sit down in chairs in a circle while their partners 
stand behind them. Then one by one the men are called 
upon to stand and describe the costume worn by their 
partners, 

The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Men should 
have something to say about this. 


Spring Birds. 

This should be played in a fairly large room. Guests 
are asked to choose the name of some spring bird -for 
themselves and to group themselves in the four corners 
of the room. Then when the Catcher in the middle of 
the room calls out ‘‘I want the robins to fly,’’ all those 


72 | THE FUN BOOK * 


who chose the part of robins must run from one corner 
to the next, flying for all they are worth as they run. 
The Catcher tries to tag as many of them as he can. 
Anyone who is tagged must help him catch the other 
birds until they are all caught. If a player is about to 
be tagged and wishes to be safe he needs only to flap his 
wings and sing at the top of his lungs. 


2 

Each guest is asked to put his initials on the top of 
the piece of paper given him. These papers are then 
collected, mixed up and passed out again. Guests are to 
study the initials on their papers and then write out the 
name of the flower which they think the owner of the 
initials must closely resemble, the only ruling being that 
the initials on the top of the paper be used. For instance 
the man whose paper reads ‘‘F.. D.’’ writes ‘‘Fat Daf- 
fodil’’ on his paper. 

The papers are again collected and given to the leader 
who takes them up, one by one, calls out the initials and 
asks the owners to claim their papers. As they come to 
the front of the room she says, ‘‘ Frank Davis, you look 
like a fat daffodil!’’ 

Frank Davis is a tall lean professor and looks about 
as much like a fat daffodil as he does like a Gold Dust 
Twin. 


Initial Flowers. |\' 


The Flower Jump. 


Several large ‘‘flowers’’ are cut out of colored paper, 
none of them being less than six inches across. These 
flowers are set out in rows as in a garden, about a foot 
apart and with four or five in a row. Facing these rows 
are the guests, standing in lines of equal length. When 


MAY 73 


the signal is given the first one in each line is to hop 
down his row of flowers, hopping over the posies on one 
foot. When he reaches the end of the row he turns 
around and hops back, touching off the next hopper on 
his return. Anyone who steps on a posy, or has to put 
both feet down on the floor is made to start all over 
again. They may, however, change from one foot to the 
other, but at no time can both feet be on the floor. The 
line which first jumps its row of posies is given a bag 
of peanuts. 


Flower Petal Partners. 

All the girls are asked to go into another room while 
the men line up in the main room. Four of the girls 
stick their forefingers through a paper curtain which 
covers the doorway. The first man in the line is blind- 
folded, goes up to the curtain and grasps a ‘‘flower 
petal.’’ As soon as he gets a finger he calls out his name 
and the other end of the finger calls out hers and they 
become partners. 

When these four flower petals have been plucked, four 
more take their places and so it continues until all the 
girls have partners. 


Refreshments. 

All refreshments are under cover and numbered in a 
room apart from the main room. One couple at a time 
is admitted and asked to choose the number of the food 
desired and to promise to tell no one that number. On 
each round guests are given one choice. 

It does not exactly make for a serious frame of mind 
to have one-third the crowd eating ice cream, while 
another third is wistfully holding a napkin and nothing 
else, and the last third is chewing on a pickle. 


race 
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CHAPTER VI 
JUNE 
For Either Large or Small Groups 


Wedding Finery. 

As soon as guests have disposed of their wraps the 
men are sent to one corner of the room and the girls to 
another. In the men’s corner is a committee of three 
girls who will deck the men in finery fit for a June wed- 
ding, and in the girls’ corner there have been placed 
pieces of white cheesecloth, gayly colored ribbons, and 
artificial and real flowers. The girls are to adorn them- 
selves as only girls can. 

When they are all ready the men should look very fes- 
tive—to say nothing of foolish—in their huge buttonhole 
bouquets, their knots of tulle or chiffon for neckties and 
-wristlets and anklets, and their small, old-fashioned 
women’s hats, covered with flowers! 


Changing One’s Name 

This is done in far more mise a manner than the 
usual manner of changing one’s name in June. Men 
form one line and girls another, and marching down 
opposite sides of the room they come up the center with 
partners. When they reach the front of the room they 
march around the room in a big double circle, finally 
forming a single circle, each girl standing at the left of 
her partner. Then the leader explains that they take on 

74 


JUNE 75 


new names for the evening, partners exchanging | last 
names. Each player in turn announces his or her new 
name, by which name he or she is to be called the rest of 
the evening. For example, Mary Yorke has Bill Howell 
for her partner. Therefore, for the rest of the evening 
Mary Yorke becomes Mary Howell and Bill becomes Bill 
Yorke. 


a “0 Wedding Music. 
~The y wedding guests must furnish the music so they 
use the grand march in forming fours, each four making 
a family group which is to quickly prepare a song, this 
whether they can sing or not. If the company of guests 
is a large one, have guests make groups of eight instead 
of four. They may sing any song they like but they 
must sing a song or suffer the consequences. 

They are given four minutes in which to prepare a 
song and then each group is called out in turn by the 
leader to sing through one verse and the chorus of their 
song. That will be quite sufficient! When all the 
groups have done their best—or their worst—they are 
asked to make a community chorus and all of them sing 
their song at the same time. 

It is to be hoped that there are no near neighbors, 


3 ~ The Gymnastic | Wedding. | 

Guests then arrange themselves for the wedding, mem- 
bers of the musical family groups sitting together as 
all good family groups should. The wedding ceremony 
should have had a bit of preparation put on it but it is 
made to look as impromptu as possible. The master of 
ceremonies who is a ‘‘gymnasium instructor’’ calls on 
the participants to step out of the audience, and right 


76 THE FUN BOOK 


before the other guests they are Reh ae for the cere- 
mony. The bride’s veil, the groom ’s gloves (which are 
ten cent store work cloves), all the wedding finery is at 
hand and is put on the victims before the other guests. 

The music is all very decidedly march-time Cappel 
music, like Sousa’s ‘‘Stars and Stripes Forever.’’ The 
flower girl, who is some husky man, is the first to enter, 
and comes in doing arm exercises and violently flinging 
bits of paper about for flower petals. Next the three 
bridesmaids, who are tall and muscular men, come goose- 
stepping in, and then the maid of honor enters doing 
gymnastics. Finally the bride and groom come in, the 
eroom stalking along with mighty tread and doing deep 
breathing exercises, while the bride is constantly touch- 
ing the floor without bending her knees. 

After the wedding party is assembled the master of 
ceremonies reads a.mock ceremony, all the while inter- 
rupting himself with ‘Arms sidewards fling !’’ where- 
upon the entire wedding party must ‘‘arms sidewards 
fling’’ until another command is given. All responses 
by the bride and groom must be given at the same time 
that the exercises are being performed. After they are 
safely married the wedding party slowly files out, using 
the same step with which they came in and doing their 
exercises as violently as ever. 

This is merely a suggestion of a plan for a | Symnastic 
wedding, and can be enlarged pee to a ereat extent. 
A groom who is called upon to do ‘‘prone falling’’ while 
answering ‘‘Yes,’’ is most effective! 


A la Carte. 


Hight heavy women, four stout wagons and eight 
brave masculine souls are the necessaries for this race. 


JUNE 1 


Each heavy woman chooses one of the brave men for her 
guide and motive power, two couples making up a team. 
The first couple of each team is given one of the wagons. 
At the signal the women of the first team sits in the 
wagon facing the front, and does the steering while the 
man pushes from the rear. 

The committee should have a Ratt and not make the 
course too long! The man pushes his lady fair down the 
course around the designated ‘‘post’’ which has been 
pointed out as his, and comes back to give the wagon to 
the next couple—and to take a much needed rest. 

The team which first completes this race without any 
casualties gets an all-day sucker apiece. It is amazing to 
see how many ladies have lost the fine art of steering a 


craft. It is made clear to them that it is no fair steering 


poe 


into the piano. 


| Valet & Service. 


“Bivery man present is asked to take a girl for a part- 
ner, the only stipulation being that the girl he chooses 
ean be no relation of his, thereby making it impossible 
for a man to take his wife as his partner. These couples 
form teams, an equal number of couples being on each 
team. At the signal the first couple of each team runs 
to the opposite end of the room where the man sits down 
on the chair provided, the lady takes off the man’s tie, 
and then puts it back on again, tying it as neatly as she 
ean. When she has finished they run back together to 
touch off the second couple of their team who go through 
the same process. This continues until all the men of a 
team have had their ties taken off and put on again. 

The women cannot understand the general exodus of 


78 THE FUN BOOK 


the men toward a mirror immediately after this game is 
finished. 


Makeup... 

Four girls and four men who were the losers in some 
other event are to be the victims for this contest. The 
four girls are to stand some place where they can be 
plainly seen by all the other guests. Each man is then 
provided with a makeup box which contains an old-fash- 
ioned hair ornament of some kind, a beauty patch made 
out of court plaster, lipstick, rouge, eyebrow pencil, and 
plenty of powder. When the signal is given he is to 
start in making his lady beautiful. The degree of his 
success,is doubtful. 

When the ladies are ready for the beauty contest they 
stand before the three judges, waiting for the decision as 
to which man achieved the most artistic effect. The 
judges have been instructed beforehand to choose the 
most garrishly awful makeup as the best. 

The benefits of this game are not alone social benefits! 


The Obstacles of Married Life. 


~Pourtouples w who deserve a penalty are asked to form 
two teams, two couples to each team. The teams stand 
in diagonally opposite corners of the room. When the 
starting signal is given the first couple of each team 
starts to race around the room, but—there are obstacles 
to overcome. 

First of all they are not allowed to run this race, but 
must walk it. As for the obstacles—in one corner they 
will find two.chairs which face each other. They must 
climb over these, the man helping the lady, it is hoped! 
In the next corner they are met by an assistant to the 


JUNE 19 


leader who tells them that together they will have to 
count to twenty before they may pass on. In the next 
corner - they ‘find hoo 100ps which they are to draw down over 
themselves before ‘they are privileged to continue, and in 
the fourth corner they must sing up and down ile scale. 
This last is no more painful to the contestants than to 
the onlookers. 

When these first couples, who have started from oppo- 
site corners, complete the four requirements they quickly 
touch off the second couples of their team who go through 
the same performance. The team which first overcomes 
all its obstacles is given the promise that it will live 
jappily ever afterward. 


Jramatic P rship. 

This is the month in which ‘‘partners”’ are taken, and 
while the matter of taking partners is no laughing mat- 
ter, nevertheless we might just as well get all the fun out 
of it we can. 

This game is used most successfully with a group made 
up of not more than fifty guests. On arrival each guest 
is given a slip of paper. Those given to the men bear 
directions which govern their part of the performance. 
Those given to the ladies tell them to look for a certain 
gentleman whom they will recognize by his actions. 

Directions for the men may include the following: 

1. Pose as the Statue of Liberty. 

2. Preach a one-minute sermon in pantomime. 

8. Lead a choir through an anthem. 

4, Pantomime a lady dressing her hair before a 
mirror. 

5. Teach a class in Geography, 

6. Give two Mother Goose rhymes in pantomime, 

7. Teach a gymnasium class. 


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80 THE FUN BOOK 


There are duplicate slips for the ladies, telling each 
one who her partner will be by describing what he is 
going to do. All cards are numbered, but no one is 
allowed to show his card to anyone. 

The men are called out in turn to do their stunt. As 
soon as a girl thinks she recognizes the stunt a man is 
doing as being the one outlined on her ecard, she claims 
him as her partner by asking, ‘‘Are you teaching a 
gymnasium class?’’ 

If he is, and his number corresponds with hers, they 
are partners. However, it is not always so simple a 
matter as that. For example, No. 12 has just gone 
through his performance. Lady No. 5, who likes No. 12 
pretty well anyhow cries out, ‘‘Oh, I know! He is doing 
Mother Goose rhymes! He is my partner!’’ with no 
thought of the cruel way in which she is wounding his 
pride. 

It is hardly necessary for the leader to prompt the 
man to say ‘‘I AM NOT!’’ in Italics. He is then forced 
to repeat his performance until Lady No. 12 wakes up to 
the fact that he is preaching a sermon. She claims him 
and he is her slave for getting him out of the limelight. 

These dramatics continue until all partners have been 
claimed. Men do not perform in turn according to num- 
ber, but take their turn as the hostess calls out their 
names. If there is an uneven number of men and girls— 
and there will be—some of the grils will have to play the 


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For Small Groups 


The Tournament of Roses. 
Players are divided into two equal groups, reds on one 
team and whites on the other, there being an equal 


oof 


JUNE 81 


number of men and girls on each side. The reds form 
a large circle around the whites, stepping back to give 
them plenty of room. The reds have been given four or 
five rubber balls and when the signal is given they start 
throwing these balls at the whites to see how many of 
them can be ‘‘overthrown’’ in the two minutes allotted. 
Only hits above the waistline count. As soon as a white 
is hit he must drop out of the circle, standing outside the 
eircle of reds. When the two minutes are up the number 
of whites still left untouched in the center of the circle 
is counted. 

Then the reds go into the center and the whites are 
given the ammunition. After their two minutes of firing 
is over the unharmed reds are counted. The side which 
has the most skillful dodgers gets the prize. It takes 
real dodging to avoid several balls thrown at the same 
time. 


Untying Knots. 

Most knots are tied rather than untied in June, but 
at the risk of seeming ‘‘different’’ we suggest that cer- 
tain knots be untied in June. 

In front of each team of players is stretched a wash- 
line, the first player in each team holding one end and 
the leader the other end. Thus, if there are four teams 
of players the hostess will hold one end of four wash- 
lines in her hand, while the leaders of the four teams 
will each hold the other end of their respective lines. 
Each line has had several fairly tight knots put into it, 
there being more knots to a line than there are players 
on the team that holds it. When the signal is given the 
first player of each team unties one knot. When he has 
finished he lets the next player take his turn and so it 


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82 THE FUN BOOK 


continues until every player of a team has untied a 
knot. 

The line which finishes first has the privilege of mak- 
ing all the other players pair off with partners and then 
tying the wrists of partners together in as many knots 
as they wish, thereupon inviting them to separate them- 
selves. 

It would take a more cruel person than the author to 
suggest that the knots be wet a bit! "7 : 

ei Gb. aay i! bal 


“Guests are requested to brie oifts which come / An 
bottles only. This brings forth a perfect deluge of toilet 
water, hand lotion, brilliantine, nail polish, toilet acces- 
sories of every kind, the only requirement being that 
gifts come in bottles. 


Pin Shower. 
Gifts must be pins of some kind, beauty pins, hair- 
pins, safety pins, blackheaded pins, pins of any kind. 


Verse Shower. 

The gifts to the bride-to-be are hidden in various 
places in the house. At the appointed time the hostess 
gives the honored guest a card on which is written a 
verse giving directions as to where she will find the first 
gift. It might read, ‘‘Take what you find ‘neath the 
kitchen sink, ’T'will help you make a nice cold drink.’’ 

The gift will probably be an ice pick or a lemon 
Squeezer, but whatever it is, the package must not be 
opened except before all the other guests. 

A second verse will show the hiding place of the second 
gift, and so it continues until all the gifts have been 
found and opened before the other guests. 


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JUNE 83 


The Wedding Supper. 

The different ‘‘courses’’ are hidden in various places 
in the home or hall. When the wedding supper is ready 
the hostess announces that the hunt for the first course is 
on; that the one who finds it shall run back and tell 
where he found it; that she will then blow her whistle as 
a signal that the lost is found; and that they will all 
then go to the sequestered spot and be helped to the first 
course. 

When the first course is found and done away with 
the guests hunt for the second course. This may con- 
tinue as long as there is any food with which to continue. 


CHAPTER VII 
JULY AND AUGUST 
Picnic Games 


Enfranchised Baseball. 

The rules of this game are like those of regular Indoor 
Baseball, but the game itself and the score are no more 
like regular baseball than they are like croquet. Teams 
are made up of women and men, half the players on each 
team being women and half of them men, in each case 
the pitcher and catcher being men—for obvious reasons. 
Rules are followed as for regular Indoor Baseball except 
that women are given six strikes, the reason for which is 
again obvious! The umpire, who knows nothing what- 
soever about the game, is a woman. 

Men players are advised against getting excited when 
women batters get hectic and throw the bat in the very 
teeth of the catcher or any too interested onlooker.. They 
will do it. 


Musical Pom Pom Pull Away. 


Players stand on one home line while It stands in the 
center of the open space between them and the other 
home line. At his call, ‘‘Pom Pom Pull Away!’’ all 
players must run across this open space and try to get 
to the other home line without getting caught. But if It 
is imminent and a player does not wish to be caught he 

84 


JULY AND AUGUST 85 


may become safe from being tagged by singing at the 
top of his lungs, as he runs. 

It cannot tag anyone who is singing—although some- 
times It would like to do lot worse things, than tag some 
of these singers! Any player whose singing ability did 
not save him from being tagged becomes a helper of It, 
and when the call of ‘‘Pom Pom Pull Away!’’ comes, 
catches all the players he can as they run back. After 
all the players have been caught the first one to be caught 
becomes the It for the next round. 

This game is plenty of fun to play and to watch but 
awful to listen to! 


Thrilling Three Deep. 

in This is a splendid game for strenuous boys who need 
to work off surplus energy, and it is just as good for 
| weary business men who need to laugh until they weep. 
‘Players form a double circle of pairs, partners facing 
each other with enough space between them for another 
player. They stand with their feet far apart. The one 
who is It and the one who is to be chased stand outside 
the circle and when the starting signal is given they race 
around the circle. The ‘‘chasee’’ suddenly stoops and 
crawls between the knees of some player and stands with 
his back turned to that person, who must run for all his 
worth as It now turns his attention to him and tries to 
tag him before he can crawl between the knees of some 
player. If It does succeed in tagging him, It immedi- 
ately tries to crawl between a pair of knees and get to 
safety, while the one whom he tagged becomes It. 

It is such a simple matter to crawl between the knees 

of another player when one is in a tearing hurry and on 
a dead run. 


86 THE FUN BOOK 


Dressed-up Leapfrog. 

Boys and men are divided into two circles, one man 
in each circle being appointed as leader for his circle. 
All players get down on their hands and knees, take their 
hats and put them on the backs of their heads. When 
the signal is given the leader in each circle starts leap- 
frogging his way around the circle. As soon as he gets 
back to his place he slaps the man who is just ahead of 
him and this man starts in to do the same thing, the 
object being to see which circle can first have all of its 
members leapfrog their way around the circle. But—if 
a player knocks off the hat of some player over whom 
he is leaping he must go back, put the hat where it 
belongs, and leap over the player and the hat again. 

For some reason tall men with big hats are not popu- 
lar in this game. 


War on Horseback. 

\ This is a game for big and little boys, age limit sixty 
to six. The group is divided into two teams, each big 
member of a team taking a little member as his partner. 
The big one goes down on his hands and knees and acts. 
as the horse while the little one sits on the back of his 
horse and acts as rider. When they are all ready, horses 
of opposing teams come at each other, each one trying 
to upset the rider of the enemy. A rider cannot get back 
on his horse after having once been dislodged. The team 
which first dislodges all the enemy riders is the winning 
team. 

The only trouble with this game is the fact that there 
are so few human horses on whom one can depend. Let 
a horse begin to laugh and he invariably goes down flat 
on his stomach, leaving his rider sprawled out wherever 


JULY AND AUGUST 87 


he fell. Or let a horse begin to feel his oats and kick up 
his heels playfully—well, you know what happens to the 
rider! 


Mimic Cat and Rat. 


This is just like the old game of the cat chasing the 
rat except that the cat must do everything the rat does, 
and follow the same course the rat takes. If the rat 
becomes facetious and turns a handspring while running 
away from the cat, it is up to the poor cat to do likewise 
before he can tag the rat. 


\ jf (> i} tf ay pAdé 

X Double Dead Ball. |“. 

¥ Guests are divided into two teams, each team being 
provided with three or four soft rubber balls. The two 
teams face each other across a line stretched between two 
trees, about three feet off the ground. 

When the signal is given they start shooting at each 
other. Anyone who is hit by a ball is dead and must 
drop out. If a player sees a ball coming his way and he 
catches it, he is not dead, but may continue in the game. 

The team which stays alive the longer gets a prize of 
a bag of peanuts. 


MY Obstacles, | 
“Players form a circle, It and the player who is to be 
chased standing on the outside of the circle. Two obsta- 
cles, which are just alike, have been placed just outside 
the circle. They may be barrels, one for the runner and 
one for It to climb through; they may be a rope which 
they will have to jump; or any obstacle which is 
awkward to climb over or through. Whatever these 
obstacles are, the one who is being chased cannot run 


88 THE FUN BOOK 


back to his place in the circle before he has gone over 
or through one of the obstacles, nor can It tag him 
before he too has jumped over or through his obstacle. 

It is so easy to go through a barrel when one is in a 
hurry. 


Four-legged Cat and Rat. 

This is played exactly like the old game of ‘‘Cat and 
Rat’’ except that both cat and rat must run on hands 
and toes. Players form a circle, one player being chosen 
for cat and another for the rat. The rat is given just a 
short start, and then the chase is on,—on hand and foot. 
The rat is not allowed to run away from the circle in his 
efforts to avoid the cat. When the rat is caught he 
chooses a new rat and the old cat chooses a new cat. 


Double Cat and Rat. 

This is played like the game above except that there 
are two cats and one rat. All three must go around on 
hands and knees. If the cats are fat and the rat is not, 
the rat stands a better chance against the two cats than 
one would think. 


Horseshoe. 

No picnic is complete unless a horseshoe game is going 
on in some part of the grounds. If horseshoes are hard 
to get rope quoits are just as acceptable. 

After some ‘‘regular’’ horseshoe games it is never 
amiss for the ladies to challenge the men, the only re- 
quirement being that the men who play against the 
ladies must throw with their left hands. 

At that, they usually show up the women. 


: JULY AND AUGUST 89 
o Pigtail. 
When only a few players are available and the base- 
ball fever is burning Pigtail, Long Ball, and Workup 
show up to good advantage. Pigtail may be played with 
as few as five players, a pitcher, a catcher, a baseman 
and at least two batters. The baseman may be dispensed 
with if necessary, but it helps considerably in putting 
a runner out to have a baseman on the job. There is 
only one base and it is located about half-way between 
where first and second bases would ordinarily be. If 
the runner is put out he becomes pitcher, the pitcher 
becomes catcher and the catcher becomes one of the bat- 
ters. Any ball which lands in front of the catcher is a 
good ball. 


Workup. 


This too is a very flexible adaptation of baseball. It 
ean be played with a minimum of nine players, pitcher, 
catcher, the three baseman and four batters. If any 
more players are available they fill the places of short- 
stop and fielders. When a batter is put out he goes to 
the position of least importance and every other player 
moves up a notch, the catcher becoming a batter. If 
there is a full nine on the field the one put out goes out 
in the field, and as the different batters are put out works 
his way up through the field, shortstop, third, second 
and first bases, pitcher, catcher, finally becoming a batter 
again. Rules are exactly like those of Indoor Baseball. 


uv Long Ball. 
There is only one base and it is located directly behind 


the pitcher’s box, the pitcher being about equidistant 
from the home plate and the one base. There may be 


é 
~~ 


90 THE FUN BOOK 


any number of runners on the base at the same time. 
Runners may be put out by being hit with the ball. Any 
ball which lands in front of the catcher is a good ball. 


Kick Baseball. 


This is played exactly like Indoor Baseball except that 
a football is used instead of a baseball, and that there is 
no pitcher. The football is laid on the ground at the 
home plate and is kicked by the ‘‘batter.’’ No batter is 
allowed to pick up the ball to kick it. It must be kicked 
off the ground. Foul lines are the same as for regular 
Indoor Baseball. 

If the batters are too husky and their hits land too 
far away to make the game interesting, a rule is made 
to the effect that all kicks must be made with the left 
foot. This has been known to land awkward kickers in 
a prone position. 


Kick the Stick. 


This too is played like Indoor Baseball except that a 
heavy stick or a strip of rubber hose is used instead of 
a ball. The stick is about twelve inches long and is laid 
between two bricks at the home plate. There is of course 
no pitcher. The batter kicks the stick and the rules for 
foul or good balls are the same as for Indoor Baseball. 


Zen Pins. | 

If the committee can supply about twenty Indian 
clubs, there are several splendid picnic games for which 
they can be used. Two separate bowling alleys are set 
up for two rival teams, there being ten clubs in each 
alley, set rather far apart. The first player in each team 
is provided with an old bicycle tire. At the starting 
signal these first players roll their tires and try to knock 


JULY AND AUGUST 91 


down as many ten pins as possible. Only one trial is 
given each player. Score is taken and the tire is given 
the next player. This continues until every member of 
both teams has rolled the tire. The team which scored 
the greatest number of hits is given a point for this first 
event. | 

The team which wins three out of five events wins the 
game—and the tire. There should not be more than ten 

players to a team. 


Bombardment. 


Players are divided into two teams, members of which 
form lines and stand facing each other, the two lines 
being about fifteen feet apart. Hach player is provided 
with an Indian club which stands beside him. Lach side 
is given two basketballs and at the starting signal these 
balls are shot across the open space, the object being to 
knock down the club of an opponent. As soon as a club 
is knocked down its owner picks it up, but not before the 
scorekeeper has taken a record of it. The winning team 
is the one which knocks down the most clubs in five 
- minutes. 


Club Feet. 


This game is used to very good advantage with men 
and boys. Players form a circle, each one having an 
Indian club between his feet. The one who is It stands 
in the middle with a basketball in his hands. At the 
starting signal he throws the ball at the club between any 
pair of feet, trying to knock over the club. If he is suc- 
cessful the owner of the pair of feet becomes It and takes 
the ball and the center of the circle. 

If there are more than ten players to a circle there 


92 THE FUN BOOK 


should be three or four Its. This will call for consider- 
able stepping about and considerable agility! 
Guarding the Cea ii IP? ¥ BD i PEL he r » er 
An Indian club is set up on a cushion i in the ie of 
a circle made by the players. It is stationed near the 
elub as a guard. Players are provided with two or three 
soft balls and when the signal is given they start to try 
to knock over the club. It of course tries to prevent 
them either by catching the balls or guarding the club in 
any way he chooses except by picking it up. The one 
who is successful in knocking down the club becomes the 
next It. If possible, a time score is kept and the one who 
was It the longest may.name some ridiculous stunt which 
the one who guarded his club the shortest time must 
perform. 


Competitive Catch. 

Players are divided into two competing lines, each line 
choosing a captain, and the two lines facing each other 
about twelve feet apart. The captain from team No. 1 
faces team No. 2, while the other captain faces team No. 
1. Hach captain has a basketball and at the starting sig- 
nal starts throwing the ball to members of the team 
which he is facing, not throwing it to the players in turn, 
but trying to take them by surprise by throwing it to 
people who do not expect it. The captain keeps score of 
misses and calls out the new score every time a player 
misses a catch. 

After about five minutes of this the game is called and 
the side which has the greatest number of misses to its 
credit must run any race the winning team sets for it. 


JULY AND AUGUST 93 


Competitive Teacher. _ 

Formation is like that of Competitive Catch, but the 
captains face their own teams and act as ‘‘teachers.’’ 
At the starting signal the teachers start throwing the 
ball to the different players of their team in turn, and 
the teacher who first gets the ball down the length of his 
line to the last player wins one point for his team. This 
is repeated and the line which wins two out of three 
events wins the game. Ifa player misses a catch the ball 
- must be thrown at him again until he does catch it. 


One Basket Basketball. 

Players are divided into two lines of equal length, the 
first one in each line being given a basketball. Both 
lines are facing a basket and at the starting signal these 
two first players run up to the basket and try to throw 
the ball through the basket. As soon as they succeed 
they run back to their teams and give the basketball to 
the next player in the line. This continues until all 
members of a team have made a basket, the team suc- 
ceeding in doing it first being of course the winning 

team. 


“Team Pass. 


Members of a team form two columns. The first one 
of the column on the left holds a basketball. At the 
starting signal he starts passing the ball back over his 
head. When it reaches the last player in the line that 
last player throws it across to the last player in the other. 
line of his team. It is then passed forward and when it 
reaches the first player of that line he runs across to 
the head of the left column and starts the ball back 
again, every member of that line moving back one place, 


94 THE FUN BOOK 


the last one going across to the other line every member 
of which has moved forward one place. This continues 
until the leaders are back again in their original places, 
the two teams competing of course to see which one can 
first get its leaders back to their places. 


Circle Safety. 

A circle about ten feet in diameter is marked off in 
some way, possibly by a marking on the ground. This 
marked-off space is guarded by It who stands just out- 
side the circle trying to prevent players from getting 
inside it. At the beginning of the game all players 
gather at the goal, a spot about fifteen feet away from 
the circle, and when the starting signal ‘‘All in!’’ is 
given, they start trying to get inside this circle. Any- 
one who is tagged by It before stepping inside must 
become a helper and help It tag other players. 

After all the players are either inside the circle or on 
the outside helping It. The call ‘‘ All Out!’’ forces those 
inside the circle to leave it and to run back to their goal. 
Anyone who is tagged on the way becomes another It. 
Then the call ‘‘ All in!’’ calls them back to the circle, 
and so it continues until all the players have been 
caught. 


Friendly Enemies. 

Players, who are standing in a circle in the center of 
which are placed several newspapers, are numbered off 
by 2s, it being the business of the ls to compete against 
the 2s. All players join hands, and when the starting 
signal is given they all start to try to force their ‘‘ene- 
mies’’ into the center of the circle so that they will have 
to step on the newspapers. Any player who is forced 


JULY AND AUGUST 95 


to take even one step onto a newspaper must go to the 
center of the circle and sit. The team which in five min- 
utes forces most enemy players to take their fatal step 
inside is the winning team. 

Players cannot unclasp hands in their forcing, but if 
two sufficiently determined 2s unite their strength to 
force the unfortunate 1 who is between them to step 
on the newspapers, their hands will furnish enough 
motive power. However, if while a 2 is helping to force 

a1 into the center he too should lose his balance and 
step on the newspapers, into the center he goes! 


_The Wreck. 

“This game is played exactly like the game ‘‘Steam- 
boat’’ except that trees are used instead of chairs. It 
should be played in a place where there are several trees 
rather close to each other. Each player, after having 
been assigned the name of some part of a merry-go- 
round, chooses a tree. When all the players have been 
given names and are standing against trees, It stands 
out in the open and begins his story about the wreck and 
what happened. The story should bring in the names of 
all the parts of a merry-go-round, and is brought to a 
close by the remark, ‘‘We were going along at a great 
rate, getting faster and faster, like this, ‘Chug, chug, 
chug’ (to be given about twenty times, each chug get- 
ting faster than the preceding ones) when all of a sudden 
the whole thing blew up, Bang!’’ 

As he has mentioned the different parts of the merry- 
go-round, names of which have been assigned to the 

_ various players, each player, as his name is called goes 
over to where It is standing and puts his hands on the 
shoulders of the player in front of him. Finally they 


96 THE FUN BOOK 


are all standing in a line with hands on each others’ 
shoulders, It leading the line. When the assembling of 
parts is finished and they are all im line, and It has come 
to the place where ‘‘We were going along,’’ etc., he 
starts to lead the line around through the trees, at first 
walking slowly but gradually getting faster and faster 
until they are running just as fast as they can. Sud- 
denly It cries, ‘‘ All of a sudden the whole thing blew 
up, Bang!’’ 

At that the whole merry-go-round breaks up and each 
part must find a tree as quickly as possible. The last 
one to find a tree is It for the next time. It may repeat 
this, or he may use an automobile, or a stagecoach or a 
train for his vehicle, the main point being to give all the 
players a speedy ride and an exciting one, with a chase 
at the end for a tree. 


Overtake. 

Players form a circle and number off by 2s. Both 
ls and 2s choose a leader to go into the center, each of 
these leaders being given a basketball or an indoor base- 
ball. At the signal they start throwing their balls to 
players of their team only, the two leaders starting at 
opposite sides of the circle and working their way 
around the circle, throwing the ball to each one of their 
own players in turn. If a player misses the ball it must 
be thrown to him again until he does make a good catch, 
the point of the game being to see which ball can first 
overtake the enemy ball thereby winning one point. As 
soon as a ball does overtake that enemy ball, the leaders 
again start at opposite sides of the circle to throw the 
ball to their players in turn. The side which wins four 
out of seven events wins the game. 


4 JULY AND AUGUST 97 


New Puss in the Corner. 

This is played exactly like the old ‘‘Puss in the 
Corner’’ except that each player chooses a tree for his 
corner, in a spot in which certain trees have been marked 
in some way as being ‘‘legal’’ corners, there being one 
more player than marked trees. Also, the puss who is 
looking for a corner does not try to tag two players who 
are trying to change places but tries to hit them with 
the basketball with which he has been provided. The 
player who is hit gives up his corner and becomes the 
new puss who wants a corner. 


Nature Study. 

~For childrén”’ and even for grownups whose Nature 
Study has been neglected, it is interesting to have a con- 
test based on the recognition of certain plants, flowers, 
birds, leaves, trees, ete. Players are divided into two 
groups and the group which in the allotted time recog- 
nizes the greatest number of the things listed, is the 
winning group. 

The leader may make his list to suit his own group 
and locality. In the case of leaves, for instance, players 
may hunt for as many kinds of leaves as they can name; 
bring them to the leader and have him check them up. 
Trees in a limited area may be numbered and players 
who carry cards bearing similar numbers write out the 
names of the different trees opposite their numbers. 
Birds are difficult because they can scarcely be brought 
to a leader for identification, but with a few assistants 
the leaders can cover a great deal of ground and check 
up on the bird hunters. Flowers and grasses can of 
course be brought to the leader. 

This Nature Study should end in a very strenuous 


98 THE FUN BOOK 


game and should be followed by some contest in which 
the losers of the Nature Study Contest are made victims 
in some particularly ridiculous stunt. 


Grass Loops. 

This game is best used as a quiet game for tired play- 
ers. There are only two players in each game. Hach 
one of them takes a blade of grass and with it forms a 
loop with the grass of the other player. They then start 
to pull, and the one whose blade breaks first loses that 
particular event. They may do this nine or ten times, 
the one who wins the most events being the winner. 


. Lag Games _ 


Hide and Go Seek Tag. 

In this tag game It hides and the player who finds 
him gives out the alarm, whereupon It dashes out of his 
hiding place and tries to tag one of the fleeing players. 
The one whom he tags becomes the next It. 

If grownups play this game and it is found that they 
have the same weakness that children sometimes display 
—a, desire for the limelight which leads them to try to be 
tagged and become It, a rule is made to the effect that 
the one who is first tagged must help It tag all the other 
players and that the one who is last tagged becomes the 
new It and is privileged to hide. 


Pass the Buck Tag. 

The one who is It must carry something awkward in 
his left hand. As soon as he is able to tag anyone he 
gives the new It this ‘‘something awkward,’’ which must 
be carried until a new It is tagged. The object may be 
a tin pail or a long vine or a bunch of grasses, anything 
that will be awkward to carry when one is in a hurry. 


JULY AND AUGUST 99 


Hippity Hop Tag. 
All players and It are required to hippity hop. 


Beanbag Tag. 

It must carry a beanbag on his head. If the beanbag 
falls off he is not allowed to tag anyone until it is put 
back on his head. 


Shadow Tag. 

This can be played only on a bright, sunshiny day. 
When It is chasing a player, if that player can step into 
the shadow of another player both of them are safe and 
It must look for another victim. However, if ‘‘shadows’’ 
play safe too long, It needs only to call ‘‘ All out in the 
sunshine !’’ and all players must move. 

Fat players who make fat shadows are always popular. 


VGrand Opera Tag. 

When It is close upon a player and just about to tag 
him, this player may make himself safe by quickly as- 
suming a position with arms stretched out widely, feet 
apart. At the same time he must be singing any song 
he chooses, as loudly as he can. 

He deserves to be safe. 


Nose and Toe Tag. 


To avoid being tagged by It players must touch their 
noses and toes. Anyone in such a position may be safe 
from being tagged, but is anything but comfortable. 


Trio Tag. 
All players form threes, even It being a line of three 
players with hands joined. The It team must be given a 


100 THE FUN BOOK 


large red handkerchief which must be waved constantly 
to show who is It. When they are able to tag some other 
three that three is given the red handkerchief and 
becomes It. 

It is so easy to run when two other people as deter- 
mined as you are are pulling in the opposite direction. 


Picnic Races 


The Duck _Waddle,. 


“three ‘ducks, hres canes, and three stout women are, 
the ingredients necessary to make this a real race. The 
contestants stand in an enclosed space which is about 
forty feet in length. Hach woman is given a cane and 
a duck with a string around its neck and when the signal 
is given, is to start driving her ‘‘beast’’ to market, which 
market of course is the goal line. The woman who first 
succeeds in driving her duck to the goal line, guiding it 
by means of her cane, wins her duck. 

She will have earned it. 


The Dustpan Race. 

A grassy plot is chosen for this race. Eight big men 
and eight small men or boys are chosen. Each big racer 
takes a little racer as his partner, and two couples form 
ateam. The first big man of each team is given a dust- 
pan. When the signal is given the small man sits on the 
dustpan with his feet under him; the big man takes hold 
of the handle of the dustpan and starts pulling him 
down the length of the racecourse around the tree which 
each one has had pointed out to him as his goal, and then 
back to his team where he gives the dustpan to the other 
_ big man of his team. That second couple goes through 


JULY AND AUGUST 101 


the same process, and the team which first finishes this 
agony Wins a prize. 

Big men have been known to pull too zealously and to 
Spill their little Min paienche 


i 4 . se 
; Fi Po a fie if Pe 


‘Oe The Timid Tossers. ve £2 agg ; Pye A eetbt 43 fh @ et Sir 

All the women are lined up for the toss. Each one in , 
turn is given an indoor baseball and is asked to throw 
it as far as she can. The five who threw the farthest are 
then lined up with five of the men and the real contest is 
on. The men are to throw as far as they can with their 
left hands while the women try to overthrow them with 
their best right-handed throwing. 

At that, if the men don’t outthrow the women——! 


The Blind Leading the Blind. 

There are two men contestants for each team, one of 
them being small. They are all blindfolded and the 
small one of each team gets down on all fours. When 
ready this horse puts up his feet and his blind driver 

* takes hold the feet and drives his blind horse to the goal 
and back. Or at least, maybe he does. 

He is far more likely to drive his horse straight into 
the creek. The blind team which completes anything 
that even looks like a ae aa course is given a real prize. 


{ The Monkey Relay. 

' ~ Boys are divided into lines of equal length. When 
the signal is given the first boy in each line goes down on 
all fours with his hands behind him, scrambling to the 
goal and return on hands and heels. When he returns 
to the starting point he touches off the next runner and 
the race goes on in this way until every member of a 
team has run. 


Taisen 


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\/102 THE FUN BOOK 


Two in One Sack Race. 

Two contestants race with inside feet together in one 
sack and go back to give the sack to the other couple of 
their team. 


Obstacle Race. 

The race course for each line of contestants consists 
of a line of obstacles, the worse the better. As soon as 
one player has completed his line he hurries back to 
touch off the next runner, who must go through the same 
performance. The line which first overcomes its ob- 
stacles gets all the ice cream it can eat. 

Obstacles may be as follows: 

1. Run with hands on ankles to the place where an 
automobile tire has been placed. 

2. Crawl through the tire. 

3. Hat a cracker without the aid of hands. 

4. Run toa barrel hoop. Draw down over shoulders 
and step out of it. 

5. Thread a needle. 

6. Find a nickel which has been hidden in a saucer 
of flour. 

7. Run back to starting point on all fours. 


Burden Race. 

Three players form a team. The two larger ones form 
a chair by clasping their right hands on their own left 
wrists, and their left hands on their partner’s right 
wrists. They carry the lightest member of the team 
to the goal and return. 

They may next be required to run this race back- 
wards. In this event one’s entire sympathy is with the 
one who is being carried. 


JULY AND AUGUST 103 


Eating on the Level. 

Two players who admit a fondness for ice cream are 
blindfolded and asked to lie flat on the ground, their 
faces close to each other. Each one is then given a dish 
of ice cream and asked to feed the other one. 

At this point our imagination ceases to function. 


Eating Contests. 

Further eating contests, which for some reason or 
other always seem to be popular at picnics, might in- 
elude the following: 

1. Eating a cracker without the aid of hands. 

2. Hating a large ripe tomato placed on a plate on 
the edge of a chair. Or on a newspaper on the ground. 

3. Eating cracker crumbs from a saucer. 

4. See Piggy. 

5. See Mashed Potatoes. 

6. See Chopstick Chew. 


Individual Contests. 

1. Backward Shake. Contestants are asked to put 
their right hands over their right shoulders and their 
left hands under their left shoulders and to shake hands 
with themselves across their backs. 

2. Touch Toes. Contestants are seated with legs 
stretched out straight in front of them and they are to 
touch their toes without bending their knees. 

3. Stiff. Contestants lie on the ground with arms 
stretched out stiffly at their sides. Without touching 
anything they must rise to a sitting position and then 
stand up. 

Note: Other races written up elsewhere in this book 
which could be used for out-of-door races include the 
following: 


104 THE FUN BOOK 


Spring Beauties. 
May Walk. */ 
Flower Jump. * | 
Garden Maze. ‘» ©’ 
A la Carte. Fé a 
April Fool Locomotion... \ 
Slippery Soap. 
j March Madness. }..' . 
w/ 9. Deformity.4°% 

10. Egg Balance. « ° 

11, Muddy March. 

/ 12. Flatheads. +4 7 

13. Pan Balance. | 

14. Potato Relays. © 

15. Haste Makes Waste. 

16. Golash! — 

17. The Straight and Narrow Path. 

18. Stork Race. ) 

19. Witches’ Ride. 

20. April Fool Races.” 


oe es 


WATER EVENTS 


Races 


Whoops My Dear! 

Four hoops are placed in the water, one for each team 
of contestants. They will not stay in position but that 
makes no difference. At the starting signal the first one > 
of each team must swim to the hoop which has been 
pointed out to him as his, pull himself through the 
hoop, and go on to the goal and return to touch off the 


JULY AND AUGUST 105 


other member of his team who goes through the same 
performance and the same hoop! 


The Swimming Boxes. 

Each contestant is given an ordinary soapbox. At the 
signal he lies on it and swims to the goal and return, 
giving the box to the other member of his team who does 
the same thing. 


Impediments. 

Each contestant is given a woman’s wash skirt which 
he is obliged to put on over his bathing suit before ‘he 
gets into the water. He is to swim to the goal and return 
to touch off the next runner—with the skirt on. 

A man looks and acts funny enough wearing woman’s 
clothing while it is dry, but a woman’s skirt wet, on a 
full-grown man, and in a swimming race—well, there 
may be funnier things, but I doubt it! 


Wet Weather. 


Contestants swim to the opposite side of the pool or 
the place marked off for swimming; each one reaches up 
and gets an umbrella which is held open for him, takes 
it in his left hand and swims back to the starting place. 
There he gives the open umbrella to his partner who 
must take it in his left hand and swim back to the other 
end, give up the umbrella and swim home. The couple 
which first completes this gets the prize, 


Suitcase Race. 


Contestants swim to far end of pool where an old suit- 
case awaits each one, each suitcase containing a skirt 


106 THE FUN BOOK 


of generous proportions, a hat which may be tied on, 
and a searf of some gaudy color. 

It seems hardly necessary to say that these articles 
should be of ancient vintage. The swimmer who first 
gets to the starting point wearing the articles he found 
in his suitcase is given his fancy wearing apparel as 
a prize! 


Plank Race. 


Contestants le on a plank and swim to goal and 
return. 


Balloon Blow. 


Contestants are given balloons of different colors 
which they are to blow to the goal and return. 


Stone Carry. 


Each contestant must carry two or three small pebbles 
on the back of his right hand and keep them there till 
he returns to the starting point. 


Pie Tin Race. 

DAT rorisctants balance a pie tin on their heads while 
they race from one end of the pool to the other. A pie 
tin which rolls off must be recovered and put back on 
before a swimmer can continue. 


Singing Race, 
Contestants must sing any song they choose all the 
way to the goal and back. 


Frogs and Crawfish. 


If such ‘‘animals’’ are obtainable let their obtainers 
pit them against each other in a race on the bank! 


JULY AND AUGUST 107 


Couple Race. 
Drake et 


Swimmers race in couples inside arms locked. 


Ankle Race. __ 
Pe antendnts ta race aah left hands on left ankles. 


Ice Water r Relay. 


a eee 


Swimmers stand on the bank in lines of equal length, 
the first one in each line holding a large pan of ice 
water. At the signal these pans are rapidly passed back 
over the heads of the contestants to the last one who 
runs to the front of the line and immediately starts 
passing it back again. This continues until the original 
leaders are back: in their places. 

A shallow pan full of ice water passed in a hurry over 
one’s head——! 


Water Games 


Under Cover. 

One swimmer is It and tries to tag some other swim- 
mer who must get under water to be safe. Anyone who 
dives and gets under cover is safe from being tagged— 
for the time being. 


Water Pom Pom Pull Away. 

It gets out in the middle of the pool or swimming hole 
while all the others line up on the bank. When It calls 
out ‘‘Pom Pom Pull Away!’’ they must all leave the 
bank and swim across the pool to the other bank. Any- 
one whom It tags on the way over becomes It with him 
and helps him tag the others. When they are all 
caught the one who was caught first becomes It and they 
start over again. 


x 


108 THE FUN BOOK 


Water Animals. 


This is played very much hike Pom Pom Pull Away 
with the difference that all players take the name of 
some barnyard or circus animal. When It calls for the 
horses, all horses must try to get to the other bank with- 
out being caught. So it continues until all ‘‘animals’’ 
have been called for and caught. 


Takeaway. 

A basket ball or a large indoor baseball is provided. 
The players are divided into two teams, and the object 
of the game is for one team to keep the ball away from 
the players of the other team. When the starting signal 
is given the player who holds the ball throws it to some 
member of his team, who in turn throws it to another 
member of that team—unless one of his opponents has 
snatched it away from him. 

The rules for getting possession of the ball are as fol- 
lows: No player is allowed to snatch the ball from an- 
other player’s hand, but can snatch it when it is flying 
through the air or after it has been fumbled. There is 
no score, but there is enough fun in this very simple 
water game to last a group a long time. 


Treasure Diving. 


Players are divided into two teams with a captain 
for each team. The captain of one of the teams throws 
some heavy object in the water, something which is small 
and hard to find, and heavy enough to sink. Members 
of the opposing teams then dive for the object, a time- 
keeper keeping a record of the time it took for the 
object to be brought to the surface after it left the 
captain’s hand. After it has been brought up, the other 


JULY AND AUGUST 109 


captain throws it in and members of the first ecaptain’s 
team dive for it. This is repeated several times and the 
team which wins may duck the losers! 

If the game committee is of a plutocratic standing 
they may throw in pennies to be dived after. 


Water Butt. 


Each player is seated in a canoe and is provided with 
a long pole, the end of which is heavily padded. The 
object of the game is to butt the other contestants out 
of their canoes by means of these long poles. The one 
who stays in his canoe to the last deserves a reward. 


Water Dash. 


Players are seated on the bank in their bathing suits. 
Two of their number stand in front of them, one of them 
holding a glass full of water. The other one is instructed 
to decide upon some flower and to whisper it in the ear 
of the one holding the glass of water. When he has 
done this all the players start guessing in turn as to 
the name of the flower decided upon. 

Suddenly one of them gets the entire contents of the 
glass dashed full in his face for he has guessed the right 
flower. This means of rewarding a bright guesser is 
startling to say the least! This bright guesser then 
becomes the one who must decide on some flower, while 
the one whose place he takes becomes the water thrower 
and the water thrower becomes one of the guessers. 

Birds may be used instead of flowers, or animals or 
colors. 

Formerly, this game was played with only one person 
standing in front of the group. This player did both 
the deciding upon some flower and the throwing of the 


110 THE FUN BOOK 


water. However, it proved to be too much of a tempta- 
tion to decide on no flower but to wait until one’s par- 
ticular enemy of the hour named a flower and then pre- 
tend that that was the flower decided upon and let go 
at him with the water! 


Water Football. 


Players are divided into two teams, the two teams 
having goal lines at opposite ends of the pool as in 
football. Points are made by touching the enemy’s goal 
line with the ball which may be a volleyball or a regular 
water ball. The ball is thrown up in the center by the 
referee and after that members of the two teams make 
every effort to get the ball and to make a touchdown 
with it on the enemy’s goal line, the enemy doing their 
best to prevent it and to make a touchdown of their own. 
The only kind of guarding permitted is one with arms 
outstretched. Every time a touchdown is made the two 
teams change sides. 


Water Newcome. 


A line is stretched across the middle of the pool, the 
two teams being on opposite sides of this line. They 
are furnished with some three or four hight rubber balls, 
and at the starting signal start throwing these balls into 
the enemy’s territory, trying to make their balls land in 
the water. A scorekeeper for each side keeps score of 
the numbers of enemy-thrown balls which touch the 
water, loudly announcing each score. 

Of course a ball which is caught does not make a 
score. This continues for about five minutes, the team 
which registers more landed balls on the opponent’s side 
being the winning team. 


JULY AND AUGUST 111 


Watery Three Deep. 
The old-fashioned game of ‘‘Three Deep’’ may be 
played in the water as well as on dry land. 


The same is true of ‘‘Blind Man’s Buff,’’ as well as 
**Cat and Rat.’’ 


Circle Tag. 

Half the swimmers form in groups of three, members 
of each group forming a line and holding hands. As 
they catch and encircle any of the other swimmers they 
too must form lines of three and help catch the rest of 
the swimmers who are ‘‘running’’ around loose. 


Ruth and Jacob. 
Rules for swimmers are the same as those for 
landlubbers. 


Exchange. 

- Swimmers are scattered about on the edge of the pool. 
It is blindfolded, stands in the center of the pool and 
asks for two people who are on opposite sides to change 
places with each other, trying to tag one of them on the 
way. The one tagged changes places with It. 


Water Baseball. 
This is played like Workup, or Long Ball, or Pigtail, 
the runners swimming from one base to another. 


Animal Guess. 

Players form two teams on opposite sides of the pool, 
each team having a leader. They take turns in decid- 
ing upon an animal, advance to within five feet of the 
enemy line and when the enemy guesses correctly what 
animal was decided upon they fly for ‘‘home.’’ Any 
swimmer tagged on the shoulders goes over to the enemy. 


112 THE FUN BOOK 


Overtake Tag. 

Swimmers form as large a circle as is possible. At the 
starting signal each one tries to tag the swimmer directly 
in front of him. As soon as a swimmer is tagged (on 
the shoulder) he must drop out. The last two to stay 
in the race fight it out between them, the one who can 
maneuver to touch his opponent’s shoulder being the 
winner. 


Poison Touch. 

Swimmers throw a large heavily knotted handker- 
chief at each other. It, in the meantime, tries to tag 
some player while the handkerchief is in his possession. 


Catch Contests. 

Any of the ball catching contests may be used. Com- 
petitive Catch, Competitive Teacher, and Overtake, 
found elsewhere in this chapter are typical. Instead of 
a ball a small stone or something that will sink if not 
caught should be used. 


Pass Ball Relays, 

Relay races in which balls or any object of any kind 
are passed from one to another can be used for water 
races. A race in which the contestants stand in the 
water in two columns and pass the object back over their 
heads is typical. Again the object should be something 
which will sink if not caught. 


Water Tag Games. 

1. A swimmer who is tagged must keep his left hand 
on the spot on which he was tagged. 

2. A swimmer can be tagged on the feet only. 

3. The one who is It must keep his right hand on his 
right ankle. 


JULY AND AUGUST 113 


4, Two swimmers lock inside arms and form an It 
team. 

5. To become safe a swimmer must tread water; or 
sing, 

6. If, while It is chasing another swimmer, any player 
swims between It and the person chased, then It must 
chase this intruder. 


Hayrick Ride Games 


Traveling Sights. 

' This is the month of hayrick rides; bacon, bats; 
wiener, corn and marshmallow roasts. If a hayrick ride 
is taken early in the evening when it is still light this 
game is used to good advantage. The leader has made 
out a schedule of things visible from a hayrick which 
may count for a score, the things seen on the left side 
scoring for those sitting on the left side, the same being 
true of the right side. The number of points allowed 
each ‘‘sight’’ depends upon how ordinary these differ- 
ent sights are. For example, a woman milking a cow 
eounts twenty, while a man milking a cow counts only 
five! The side which first gets one hundred points to its 
-eredit can make the other side get off the hayrick and 
walk a full two blocks. 


Sitz. 

This game is made difficult by the fact that beards 
have gone out of date. It is made a bit easier, however, 
by the fact that it may be continued for as long a time 
as the players desire, several days in fact. The only 
rule is that no score is made unless all players are pres- 
ent. It may be played any and everywhere there is a 


114 THE FUN BOOK 


passing crowd. <A long streetcar ride usually offers 
many a beard, as do automobile trips, hayrick rides and 
the like. 

Score is made in the following manner. The player 
who first sees a beard and cries out ‘‘Sitz!’’ wins as 
many points to his credit as the schedule calls for. That 
schedule might run as follows: 

1. A white beard counts for 5 points. 

\ 2. A black beard counts for 5 points. 

' 8. A Van Dyke counts for 10 points. 

. 4. Sideburns count for 10 points. 

_ 5. A red beard counts for 50 points. 

_ The player who first gets one hundred points to his 
dredit wins the game and is entitled to the ‘‘treat’’ the 
players had decided upon before the game began. 

It is often rather disconcerting for the owner of a 
beard to have a passerby excitedly grasp his partner’s 
arm, point at him and shriek out ‘‘Sitz!’’ without his 
being enlightened as to just what kind of ailment he is 
afflicted with! 


Singing. 
See Thanksgiving Singing. 


pagent ptr : ye 


Campfire Singing. oa 


See Thanksgiving Singing. Also,‘ April Fool 
Harmonics. 

While guests are sitting around the campfire a man 
between every two girls, singing and telling yarns, play- 
ing games and enjoying stunts, the leader announces 
that she will blow her whistle at intervals‘of five minutes, 


JULY AND AUGUST 115 


at which signal every man is to get up and move to the 
right, taking a new set of neighbors. 


Ha! 

First player says ‘‘Ha!’’ to his neighbor, who adds a 
Ha and says ‘‘Ha ha!’’ to his neighbor, and so it goes 
around the circle, each player adding a ‘‘Ha!’’ to the 
number he received! 


Vimitation. 

Players in turn start a stunt which must go around 
the entire circle. If the first ‘‘starter’’ sings up the 
scale, every player in the circle in turn must sing up the 
seale, etc., etc. 


Gossip. 
Players take turns starting a sentence which must be 
whispered around the circle. No one is allowed to re- 
‘peat a sentence after it is once whispered in a neighbor’s 
ear. The last player gives the final result aloud. 
**Result’’ is well put. 


ye Vinitials. 

Each player is asked to do a stunt, the name of which 
begins with the initials of his own name. Sally Lundin 
must ‘‘sing lustily.’’ 

Each player must rise and flatter himself, again using 
the initials of his name. Ben Price is ‘‘bewitchingly 
pretty.”’ 

+ \ Definitions. 

The leaders ask the players in turn for definitions of 
words or expressions which are extremely difficult to 
define, like a flight of fancy, an echo, a mere bagatelle, 
or the flash of an eye. 


/ 


ft 
Bs 
Oe 


116 THE FUN BOOK 


It is made clear that the more impossible the definition 
the more acceptable it is. The most impossible answer 
is rewarded by a bag of peanuts. 


The Quizz. 

The same is true of answers to the list of questions the 
leader has prepared and asks the group. If she inquires 
as to who built the Ark, and the minister with proud 
and shining eyes answers, ‘‘Mayor Hylan!’’ he is re- 


_ warded by a pat on the head from his proud teacher! 


Proverbs. 

“Words of well known proverbs may be sung in garbled 
fashion, or the entire proverb may be acted out by dif- 
ferent groups in turn, it being the business of the on- 
lookers to guess what proverb is being portrayed. 


Blind Man, 

A blindfolded player is led about by the leader. When- 
ever the spirit moves him he stops and points at one of 
the players who must stand and go through some re- 
quired performance, the blindfolded person being given 
two chances to guess who it is. If he guesses correctly 
they change places. 

Players may be required to sneeze,.cry, grunt, squeal, 
sing up the scale, or say ** How do you do!’’ Or the 
blittdf6lded person may say, ‘‘You are a donkey. Lét’s 
jhear you bray!”’ 


J Campfire Contests. 


These may be varied, and they are usually for four 
or five players who stand in front of the other guests. 
The contest may be based on the kind of laughs each 
contestant in turn can furnish, musical laughs, con- 
tagious laughs, giggly laughs, ete., ete. 


JULY AND AUGUST. __ 117 


Another kind of contest is the breathing contest, to 
see which of the contestants can “whistle. the longest 
without taking a breath; or count the longest “without | a 
breath; or or sing the Tienes possible note the longest time. 


Note: See Rating Contests. 


Quick Thinking. 

This is the old game ‘‘ Fish, Flesh or Fowl,’’ in which 
the one in the center points at a player and names one 
of the three classes, either fish, flesh, or fowl. If it was 
fish, the person pointed at must answer immediately by 
calling out the name of some fish before the one in the 
center can count ten. If he fails he must change places 
with the one in the center. 

/ Earth, air, or water, may be substituted for fish, flesh, 
or fowl. Animal, vegetable. or mineral may also be used. 


i Mental Test. 

The three or four people whose mentality is to be 
tested stand before the other guests while the teacher 
tries out their mental processes. Pointing at one of 
them at a time she puts her finger on her head perhaps 
and says, ‘‘This is my foot,’’ whereupon the one pointed 
at must immediately put his finger on his foot and say, 
‘‘This is my head!’’ 

This continues for the few minutes it will take the 
class to get so confused that the members will not know 
Jup from down. 


4 


Double Meaning. 

One player who is It decides on a word that has two 
or more meanings. He starts things by saying, ‘‘My 
teapot is teapot from a bad cold that he caught from 
another teapot.’’ 


‘ 
wines, 
% 


118 THE FUN BOOK 


Any player who discovers that the hidden word is 
horse or hoarse immediately speaks up and answers him 
by saying, ‘‘ Well, if you think your teapot is teapot I 
wish you could hear how teapot my little sister is after 
a ride on a teapot in the rain!’’ 

After six or seven people have discovered the right 
word, the rest of the group is enlightened, and the one 
who first discovered it is allowed to start another double 
meaning puzzle. 


Mixups. — 
There are several kinds of mixups. The following are 


typical : 

1. Two players go around the circle, one of them giv- 
ing questions to each player in turn and the other giving 
answers. 

2. Three players go around the circle, the first one 
naming a place, the next one a name, and the third one 
an action. Each player then adds to the name assigned 
him the words ‘‘and I,’’ the result being perhaps as 
follows: ‘‘Heinie and I were playing jacks in West- 
minster Abbey.’’ 

3. Each player chooses an object, any kind of object 
whatsoever. As the leader tells a story, he waits for 
each player in turn to fill in certain pauses in the story 
with the name of the object he has chosen. This usually 
results in ‘‘The boy ran down the finetooth comb and 
bumped into a puff of wind.’’ 

4, This may also be used by having the leader ask a 
series of questions, asking the same question of the dif- 
ferent players in turn, and have them answer by naming 
the object they have chosen. For example, the leader’s 


JULY AND AUGUST 119 


first question might be, ‘‘ With what did you comb your 
hair this morning ?’’ 

The first player had chosen, ‘‘A set of false teeth’’ 
for his object so he obediently answers to the effect that 
he had combed his hair with his set of false teeth | 

5. Still another way of playing this game is to have 
each player choose a trade and an object peculiar to 
that trade; tell the trade to his right-hand neighbor and 
the object to the left-hand neighbor. When this has 
been done the players in turn tell their wild tales of 
how, “‘The butcher went before the king waving his hair 
tome!’’ while in all probability ‘‘The barber went before 
the king waving his thrashing machine!’’ 

6. Finally, the leader may tell a story and look to 
each player in turn to fill in the blanks of the story with 
_ / an adjective beginning with his last initial. 


The leader calls out, ‘‘Robins fly!’’ and waves his 
arms as though he were flying, all the players imme- 
diately doing likewise. This continues as long as the 
leader mentions anything that really does fly, but if he 
should call out, ‘‘ Horses fiy!’’ and any other player 
automatically flies, that player becomes It. 


Telltale Music. 

small object is hidden among the players in such 
a way that part of it is visible. Then the person who 
in the meantime was sent away, is called in to search 
for the object, his search being guided by the singing 
of the players. The nearer he gets to the object the 
louder they will sing, and vice versa. 


CHAPTER VIII 


_SEPTEMBER Lap ¢ 
\u y 
For Either Large or Small Groups 1] 

This is the month of ‘‘larnin’’ and haying to learn 
English as she is spoke. To make the atmosphere one 
which is conducive to learning signs should be hung up 
all over the room to the effect that ‘‘I love my teacher !’’ 
or ‘‘A word to the wise is useless!’’ 

There should also be honor charts and black lists, in 
each case the reasons for one’s name being on ¢éither 
honor or black list being as far-fetched as possible. For 
example, the honor chart has prim Miss Dodds at the 
head of the list because she hasn’t snapped her gum for » 
a week, while little Mr. Simpson is down on the black 
list for teasing the girls on the shin to school. 


Learning a New Language. ee 

In order that the study of cultured Bablish Aight be 
encouraged guests are requested to use the longest pos- 
sible words all through the evening, being urged to go 
so far as to use words the Pai be. of, wie a 
haven’t the slightest understanding. fe ey- UMLedaA 4 

At one September party Deacon Pieces was over- 
heard telling the mayor’s wife that in days of yore his 
sobriquettish soirée had definitely instigated a necrosis 
of the nil desperandum! 

120 


jez 


SEPTEMBER 121 


The mayor’s wife was conscious just long enough to 
ae ‘*Dew tell!’’ 


Fi F) 
ge - 7 3 a ae Ps 
i 


If the aah are he eA who rotate originated : 
the above ailment another kind of mixer is far more to 
the point. They are told that no highbrows are to be 
allowed to ‘‘get by’’; that anyone caught during the 
evening using a word that is made up of more than one 
syllable is to be reported at once to the teacher with 
plenty of publicity and full details. A list of highbrows 
is kept and when victims are needed for some hoax or 
for some particularly foolish race these highbrows are 
used. 


, School Discipline. 


There is no better month in which to start enforcing 
discipline, even at social gatherings. An announcement 
is made to the effect that any violators of the rules of 
the school will be arrested. Questions as to these rules 
are answered only by the remark that pupils will find 


out soon enough just what they can and what they can- 


not do. There are several monitors who have been in- 
structed beforehand as to what their duties are, and 
although the games and the program proceed as usual, 
these monitors are constantly on the lookout for viola- 
tors. After every game, or between numbers on the 
program, the teacher asks for announcements as to law- 
breakers and the monitors make their report. The cul- 
prits are brought to the front and the teacher passes 
judgment on them and calls for the payment of a fine. 

Both ‘‘violations’’ and ‘‘fines’’ should be worked out 
very carefully beforehand, although it must all seem 


122 THE FUN BOOK 


very impromptu. The following violations are typical: 
It is against the law to— 

1. Wear a red necktie. No honest citizen would. 

2. Wear high heels. 

3. Laugh too much. Life is serious. 

4, Wear tight shoes. 

5. Chatter. 

Fines may consist of penny payments or the using of 
the culprits as victims in races and trick games. 

Of course the real point of this disciplining is to 
pick culprits who would under no circumstances be 
euilty of the misdemeanor they are charged with. For 
instance, Mr. Gable almost never speaks aloud. He is 
fined for his incessant chatter. A committee that knows 
its guests well can work out a list of violations that will 
be so far-fetched that this can be the most painful game 
of the evening. 


Chesty Spelling. 

The committee has prepared cards about eight inches 
square on each of which has been printed or painted a 
letter of the alphabet. There should be several more 
of these cards prepared than the committee thinks will 
be necessary, in order to make sure that no one will be 
left without a letter. There should be no X, Z, or Q. 
As each guest comes in he is given one of these letters 
or allowed to choose one from a box, sight unseen, and 
told to pin the letter on his chest. When ready, guests 
are as quickly as possible to find four other letters which, 
together with the letter they hold, will form a word. 
The teacher will give them three minutes in which to 
find letters with which they can form a word and go to 
one end of the room ready for the judge’s inspection. 


SEPTEMBER 123 


Any letter which at the end of three minutes has not 


found other letters with which it can form a word is 


given a foolscap which he must wear until the next 
spelling bee. After the judges have inspected words 
and given out foolscaps guests are again asked to mix 
up and form new words, with the same penalty prom- 
ised those who have not formed words at the end of 
three minutes. This process continues until about ten 
words have been formed. No word may be made up 
of less than five letters. A record is*kept of those who 
are presented with foolscaps and they again pay a pen- 
alty later in the evening by being cordially invited to 


be the victims in a race or hoax. 


Lary’sMamb. 9 f Catt RA 


Lary had a little mamb, 

Fer hather shot it dead. 

It hollowed fer to school next day 
Between two brunks of chead. 


This will serve admirably for a September stunt. If 


the reader cannot discover just what it is all about let 


him be consoled, for brighter men than he have toiled 
over it before they discovered the interchange of first 
letters of certain words! 


No! 
Three or four rather prominent guests are asked to 
form a spelling class. If there are school teachers 


- present let them act as contestants. The hostess asks 


them to try their luck at the word Constantinople, ask- 


ing each guest in turn to spell a syllable. The hostess 


begins by pointing at the first one in line and saying, 


124 THE FUN BOOK 


**Spell con.’’? The guest obeys her order. The next one 
is asked to spell ‘‘stan’’ and the next one ‘‘ti,’’ where- 
upon the hostess says ‘‘no’’ and shakes her head in 
great disapproval of the poor speller. Then she starts 
all over again, this time choosing a different one of the 
four contestants to start the spelling. Again after ‘‘ti’’ 
she shakes her head and says, ‘‘no,’’ she seems amazed 
that they cannot spell ‘‘ti,’’ but she is careful to say 
nothing more than ‘‘no,’’ although her motions and the 
shaking of her head show plainly that the speller is very 
badly off the track. She does this over and over, letting 
them take turns at starting the word. 

Finally someone will arrive. If no one does, the 
hostess asks if there is anyone in the audience who can 
spell the simple word she is calling for. As she soon 
shows, all she has been asking for is the next speller 
after ‘‘ti’’ to spell ‘‘no,’’ which really is the next syl- 
lable after ‘‘ti,’’ is it not? 

Is it her fault if they thought her repeated ‘‘no’’ was 

a signal that they had spelled it wrong? 


sp RED eS ep Cans peo 


Dramatic. ebestsy 
“This is the month of entrance examinations, but be- 
fore applicants are allowed to enter the dramatic class 
they must pass a certain dramatic test. Six or seven 
applicants are chosen to stand before the other guests 
who will act as the examining board. Applicants must 
in turn register the following emotions: Grief, fear, 
anger, hate, joy, pain, jealousy, gratitude, remorse, 
welcome, horror, envy, peace, ecstasy, benevolence, 
embarrassment. 

Strange to say, the last one is always the most natu- 
rally done! The board passes on the respective merits 


SEPTEMBER 125 


of the applicants, and the one who emoted the most 
realistically is given a lipstick as an encouragement to 
pursue*his dramatic career. 

To watch stout Mrs. Baxter, whose face is just one 
jolly chin after another, trying to register past her cas- 
cade of chins is a sight guaranteed to put a permanent 
wave into the laughing apparatus of every innocent 


) bystander. i ) ih - 


ek a , hae es ae eS 


43 2 @ ie BP é E faye - F 
ap 5 “4 Z. 2 # 2 RE iA » Gas @ real 4 ee J 
oo 


A Dizzy Mixup. é 
A primary class of PiGee who wore Pe Ne or hd: 
lost out in some other contest is lined up before the 
audience, There should not be more than five or six in 
this primary class. Each one in turn is asked to start 
moving his right foot around in a circle, going clock- 
wise. When he gets that well started he is asked to 
keep it up but at the same time to make a figure six 
with his right hand, and on no account is he to change 

the motion of his right foot. 

If he is able to obey orders he is a superhuman man, 
but he won’t be able to obey orders! Let any skeptical 
reader try it. 


Quantity, not Quality. 

Six men are divided into two teams, with three on a 
team. If possible let them be wearers of foolscaps or 
culprits from whom a penalty is due. Each team is to 
appear in turn before the group and to sing a song, the 
object being to see which group can sing the louder. 
After they have sung their songs separately they are to 
sing them at the same time, quantity again being the 
- desired object. 

The audience, rather than the participants, is to be 
pitied in this performance! 


2 OF Fe Pw j : ; Xie ‘ewe or Os ®t 
A ell ee 


126 THE FUN BOOK 


Snappy Spelling. 

Players are seated in two long lines on opposite sides 
of the room. Two separate sets of the letters of the 
alphabet have been prepared, one red and the other 
black, there being two each of all the vowels. Hach 
player is given a letter. There are three captains for 
each team, these captains standing at different places in 
front of their teams. The object of the game is to see 
which team can spell the greatest number of words in 
the time allotted. 

Words are spelled in the following manner: When a 
captain calls for a word the player holding one of the 
letters forming that word runs down to the far end of 
the room, finds his right place with the letters forming 
that word, and faces the judges holding up his letter 
on his chest. 

No words are called out by the teacher, but each side 
must think of its own and must not duplicate those 
spelled by the other side. However, there would be 
Bedlam if words were allowed to run wild! So, as each 
player thinks of a word he calls out to the captain near 
him, ‘‘ Hear, hear!’’ and when he gains the attention of 
that captain tells him the word. The captain then calls 
out the necessary letters and if the stage is clear imme- 
diately sends those letters down to spell their word for 
the judges. As soon as the judges have noted it and 
have called out the word the players run back to their 
places to make room for the next word. 

The stage is simply an open place at one end of the 
room, with a chair in the middle to mark off the divid- 
ing line between the red and black spellers. If this 
dividing line were not present they would constantly be 
pushing over into each other’s territory. The judges 


_... Examinations. \ 


SEPTEMBER 127 


are of course at the opposite end of the room where they 
can get a clear view of the stage. All players must be 
‘seated and are allowed to get up only when they are 
ready to spell a word for the judges. 

It is not necessary to urge players to choose the 
simplest words they can think of! Length of word does 
not count. It is simply the greatest number of words 
that will win the game. About fifteen minutes should 
be allowed for spelling, the judges calling out the score 
from time to time. 

This game may sound complicated but it really is very 
easy to put on and can be played month after month, 
with variety brought in by stipulating that all words 
must be of two syllables; or that all words must pertain 
to Christmas pate special day being celebrated. 


. oS 


While the group is seated and resting after some more 
strenuous game examinations are given. The ‘‘teacher’’ 
will put the questions to the group as a whole and any- 
one who can answer them puts up his right hand, gets 
the teacher’s permission and then demonstrates to the 
class how smart he is by. the way he answers the ques- 
tions. The questions are as follows: 

1. Can you put your right hand where your left hand 
cannot touch it? » 

2. Can you put your handkerchief where everyone in 
the room but you can see it? + 

8. Can you bite an inch off the piano? 

4, Can you place a pencil on the floor in such a way 
that. you cannot jump over it? 

5. Can you sit on Niagara Falls? 


128 THE FUN BOOK 


Answers: 

1. On left elbow. 

2. On head. 

3. Away from the piano. 

4, Against the wall. 

5. Write ‘‘Niagara Falls’’ on a slip of paper and sit 
on it. \4 > 


Lia 


Going to School. 


Two children’s scooters are provided as are four of 
the stoutest guests present, preferably guests who have 
fallen short in some other game and who have been 
listed as victims. They are divided into two teams, a 
girl and a man to each team. 

Contestants line up at the starting line with their 
scooters and when the signal is given the man of each 
team puts one foot on the scooter and uses the other as 
his propelling power, and ‘‘propels’’ as fast as he can 
(which will not be very fast!) to the other end of the 
room and back. He immediately and gladly gives up 
his scooter to the girl who goes through the same 
performance. 


Unlimited Vocabularies. 


Two players of opposing teams stand in front of the 
rest of the group and at the signal start talking as fast 
as they can on any subject whatsoever. The one who 
can talk the longest without repeating himself wins a 
gas bag in the shape of a toy balloon. 


Haste Makes Waste. 


On the goal line, across the room from each line of 
contestants there is a row of Indian clubs, three abreast. 
Runners from each line must run around their three 


SEPTEMBER 129 


clubs and back to touch off the next runner. If they 
knock down a club—and they will!—they must put it 
up again before continuing. Haste does make waste. 


Labor Day Trades. 

The group is divided into small groups of about six 
or seven guests each. These groups take turns in pan- 
tomiming trades upon which they have decided in 
secret. 


Picking Up Business. 

After the summer slump merchants usually start a 
brisk advertising campaign in the fall. Being of a help- 
ful nature we offer the following games as a suggestion 
for attracting attention. 

Guests are divided into small groups, each group 
being asked to prepare a stunt which will portray some 
widely advertised product, each portrayal to continue 
until the other guests have guessed what it is. The 
following suggestions are typical: 

1. Sun Kist. (A son kissed by his mother.) 

2. Eventually, Why Not Now? (An engaged couple 
being married. ) 

3. Bunte. Stop That Tickle. (Giggling husband bhe- 
ing tickled by his wife. ) 

4, Walk Over. (One man walking over another—this 
last if the teacher can find a man who will let another 
man walk over him!) ; 


Book Characters. 

Guests are divided into small groups, each group being 
asked to dramatize the name or story of some very 
familiar book. Tom Sawyer and Elsie Dinsmore i invar- 
iably appear in person. ree) 


130 THE FUN BOOK 


Do It, Don’t! 
~“Wvfén are lined up in rows on one side of the room and 
girls are on the other, while the teacher stands in front 
and goes through simple gymnastic movements to be 
followed if she calls out, ‘‘Do it!’’ but which are to be 
utterly ignored if she says ‘‘Don’t!”’ 

The leader may snap her fingers, jerk her elbows back, 
rise on her toes, etc., etc. 


Dramatic Spelling. 

AR guests come in each one is given a slip of paper 
on which there is written a letter and a number. When 
the signal is given all guests having the same number 
on their slips get together and figure out the verb they 
think their combined letters form. When their turn 
comes they are to dramatize that word until the others 
geuess what word it is. 


For Small Groups 


Train of Thought. 

Players put some word like ‘‘schoolhouse’’ at the top 
of their papers and are then given three minutes in 
which to write down in order the words that are brought 
to mind by thinking of a schoolhouse. These lists are 
read and the most logical one is rewarded. 

Schoolhouse, teacher, glasses, eyes, blind man, beggar, 
policeman, jail, mice—there are no limits to the places 
a train of thought might carry one! 


This game was written for the purpose of increasing 
the vocabularies of the guests who play it. They are 


SEPTEMBER 131 


divided into two even sides with a scorekeeper provided 
for each team. When the signal is given the first one 
on one side quickly gives his favorite slang expression. 
The minute he has finished the first one on the other side 
must give his favorite slang expression; then the sec- 
ond one on the other side, and so on down the lime, 
the sides taking turns in giving their favorite slang 
expressions. 

No one is allowed to repeat an expression that has- 
been given. Any player who is not at once ready with 
a slang expression when his turn comes scores a failure 
for his team. The side which has the greatest number 
of failures to its credit must sing any song the other 
side asks for, whether they know it or not. 


root! 

“"Thig game is primarily an exercise for one’s self- 
control. It is used to best advantage at a party for girls, 
gigoly girls. They are divided into two lines, the lines 
facing each other. Hach side has a teacher whe is going 
to make a test of the will-power of the girls on the other 
side. The teacher from one side goes over to the enemy’s 
line, all the girls of which line have filled their cheeks 
with wind. The teacher moves slowly down the line and 
as she passes each girl she uses her two forefingers to 
poke at the puffed-out cheeks, being allowed only one 
poke at each girl to see if she has enough control not to 
let the wind out of her cheeks. Every girl who lets her 
cheeks collapse gives a point to the other side. 

After the list of fatalities has been taken the teacher 
goes home and the other teacher goes through the same 
performance on the other side. The team which has the — 
fewest collapses gets a real prize. 


132 THE FUN BOOK 


C-John-t. ae 

The rules of this game are exactly like those for a 
spelldown except that no vowels are allowed In every 
case a speller must use his own name in the place of 
a vowel. 

This is no laughing matter. Let any sceptical reader 
who has a name like Alexandria try to spell the word 
‘‘irreproachable’’ in this perverted manner, and do it in 
a hurry. 


Boomerang Conversation. 

Without being told what is coming next, men are 
asked to talk to their partners for two minutes on any 
subject the hostess chooses. Perhaps it will be on ‘‘ How 
a differential works.’’ 

At the end of the two minutes the hostess announces 
that time is up and that the ladies will now talk for two 
minutes on the subject, ‘‘The best way to make a clear 
soup.”’ 

At the close of this interesting conversation men are 
sent to sit on one side of the room, ladies sitting on the 
other while they all write an explicit account of their 
late conversations. These must all be signed and handed 
to the hostess at the end of five minutes. They are read 
aloud later on. 

One prominent man in a western town hasn’t yet 
lived down his desperate account of the remarkable in- 
formation he thought he received from his partner! 
Headwork. 

Players are divided into two teams, members of which 
form two lines which face each other. The first one in 
team A names a letter. Immediately the first one in 


SEPTEMBER 133 


team B must give the name of a river beginning with 
that letter and tell where it is located. He, in his turn, 
names a letter and the second one in line A must name 
a river beginning with that letter and is then privileged 
to name the letter which the second one in team B must 
use for the first letter in the river which he names. 
Failures to name rivers in the time it takes one’s oppo- 
nent to count to ten are noted and the side which has the 
most failures to its credit must do the stunt which the 
winning team names for them. 

If a facetious player insists on naming letters X, or 
Q, or Z, in the hope that his opponent cannot name any 
river beginning with those letters, the tables may be 
turned on him by having the referee give his entire team 
the chance to name and locate a river beginning with 
one of those initials. If no one in his team is able to 
do so, the team gets a demerit of ten points. 

Instead of naming rivers players may be asked to 
name cities or lakes or mountains. 

Another way of playing this is to have a player on 
one side name a city or a river or a lake and have the 
opponent locate it. 


Watchful Waiting. 

This is played very much like Headwork. Instead of 
dividing guests into teams, however, each player is ‘‘on 
his own.’’ Players sit about a table, each one being 
supplied with a small pile of cards bearing letters. In 
unison players turn up the cards which have been face 
down and as they turn them those who have turned up 
similar letters are opponents for the moment, each one 
trying to be the first to name some river beginning with 
that letter before his opponent is able to. The one who 


134 THE FUN BOOK 


succeeds may give a card to his opponent, the object of 
the game being to get rid of one’s cards. 

Again they may name cities, or lakes, or anything they 
choose. 


Progressive Watchful Waiting. 

Guests may be divided into small groups about differ- 
ent tables, each table requiring a different object to be 
named when similar letters are turned up. The one 
who first gets rid of his pile of cards ‘‘ progresses. ”’ 


Schoolroom Races... 

Any races in which contestants must run to the 
blackboard and finish a word or a sentence or a picture 
or an arithmetic sum, are very appropriate for 
September. 

Relay races in which contestants sit in rows of chairs 
placed like the seats of a schoolroom are also used to 
good effect. For example, the first one in each row may 
start the race by running around his row and touching 
off the second runner before he sits down, the object 
being to see which row can first run round its row of 
chairs. 


Half a Quotation.— 
“Guests sit in a circle. The leader holds a knotted 
handkerchief and when they are all ready she gives 
half a quotation and throws the handkerchief at some 
other guest who is then obliged to finish the quotation. 
Any guest who fails to do this must pay a forfeit. 
Instead of finishing a quotation the handkerchief 
thrower may ask a geographical question which must be 
answered by the one at whom the handkerchief is thrown. 


SEPTEMBER 135 


Lunch Hour. 

The committee has prepared several slips with chil- 
dren’s names written on them, being careful to make 
sure that there is a Jack for every Jenny, a Bert for 
every Bessie. The men draw slips out of one box while 
the girls draw their slips out of another. Then 
‘‘teacher,’’ who has a list of all the names which were 
put in the box and who has crossed off the names which 
were not used, calls the roll. The first letters determine 
who one’s partner shall be. She ealls out, ‘‘ Johnny and 
Julia, step forward,’’ and Johnny and Julia step. Next 
come F’reddie and Freda, and then Roland and Rosie, 
etc., etc. If there is an uneven number present and 
they are not matched up evenly, the teacher pairs off 
the names left on her list at will. As each couple passes 
the refreshment table they must sweetly give their 
names to the committee in charge. 

Ten to one the minister and his partner will be 
‘‘Teddie and Tillie!’’ 


Note the following adaptations : 
“I. See Nicknames. Use school children’s names. 
2. See Dramatic Partnership. Use trades. 
3. See Wedding Music. School music. 
4. See the Bump Reader. Minds are read. 


CHAPTER IX 
OCTOBER 


For Exther Large or Small Groups 


Hallowe’en Hairdress. 


In the invitations guests are asked to change the style 
of their hairdressing for the party. Anyone who does 
not make a drastic enough change in his hairdress is 
given a bit of assistance on arrival by the ‘‘helpful’’ 
committee. Men who part their hair on the side are 
gently but firmly helped to part it in the middle and 
wear it with a brilliant orange paper bow over one ear. 
Girls who have not followed instructions are given black 
headbands which are to be put on at awkward angles, 
together with yellow pompoms which must be put on 
with hairpins at very obviously wrong positions. 

After they have passed the rigid inspection at the 
door guests are instructed by the doorman to wait in a 
certain darkened room until the other guests have 
arrived. The room has been made very dark, and there 
are no chairs. From time to time hideous noises 
‘‘happen.’’ No one is allowed to speak, so a sudden 
blood-curdling scream does not go by unnoticed! Water 
is dropped, trickle by trickle, from over a staircase to 
a pail down below. Manipulations on a piece of string 
attached to some resin in a tin can make a beautiful 

136 


OCTOBER 13% 


noise. A sudden dropping of a tray full of tinware or 
a dishpan of broken glass has a soothing effect on the 
nerves. 

After most of the guests have arrived they are in- 
vited to proceed with the party. They are led, single 
file, to the basement door through which each one must 
pass alone shutting the door behind him, the point being 
that the handle of the doorknob is charged with elec- 
tricity. In a semi-blackness they are led through the 
basement over every conceivable kind of obstacle. The 
leader is wearing golashes and when they hear him 
stepping into a tub of water and think they have to 
follow suit there is consternation! He, however, after 
making as much of a splash as he can, shoves the tub of 
water aside and proceeds. 

One of the guests near the front of the line is 
coached to scream shrilly on every possible and impos- 
sible occasion. Speaking of the power of suggestion é 

After the tour of the underworld they are led up to 
the room in which the party is to be held. If possible 
they should enter that room by crawling through a win- 
dow and then be required to walk across the room back- 
wards before the party can begin. 

Inflated paper sacks are hung all about the room, in 
addition to the witches and black cats and moons and 
pumpkins. Faces have been drawn on these sacks in 
charcoal—very foolish faces, none of the features in any 
way resembling those of guests, of course! 


Sacked. 

Each guest is given a yellow sack which he is to put 
on his head, punching holes for the eyes, nose, and 
mouth. Charcoal and black crayons are applied so that 


138 THE FUN BOOK 


he may draw any facial expression he desires on his own 
face. When all the guests have put on their sacks they 
are to start shaking hands with each other, calling any- 
one whom they recognize by name. If a person’s guess 
is correct he is privileged to mark a large X on the face 
of the one whose identity he guessed. The one who first 
gets his ‘‘face’’ full of X’s is taken in hand by the 
leader and used as a victim later on. 

An announcement is made to the effect that addi- 
tional victims are to be gleaned from the ranks of 
those who do not continuously shake hands left-handed 
for the four or five minutes allotted to this event. 


Hallowe’en Hospitality. 

After the room has been fully lighted again guests 
are told to shut their eyes and go about shaking the left 
hands of other guests as though their-lives depended 
upon it. Culprits caught with their eyes open or not 
shaking hands are made to be mighty sorry they were 
caught by being used as the contestants in ‘‘I.See a 
Ghost.’’ 


Fated Spots. 

Guests are told that there are certain spots in the 
room which are very unlucky; that no one but the 
chairman knows where they are; that they are to move 
around from place to place shaking hands with each 
other; and that when the leader’s whistle blows they 
are to stand stock still, still grasping the hand which 
they had been shaking when the whistle blew. The 
leader then reads from her list: ‘‘The first unlucky 
spot is on the right-hand side of the piano.’’ The man 
and girl standing there are requested to sing a duet and 


OCTOBER 139 


sing they must. The handshaking then goes on as 
before, with a half-minute interval of handshaking 
before the second unlucky spot is named. 

There should be about five of these unlucky spots, 
which will bring out five unlucky couples who are 
obliged to do some stunt which the leader has planned 
with malice aforethought. The real point of the game, 
however, is the very elaborate avoiding of the unknown 
while guests are violently shaking hands and trying at 
* the same time to keep off an unlucky spot! 


€ “@errific Tableaux. 


Guests are divided into small groups each one of 
which is to prepare a caricature tableau, the more 
ridiculous the better. Some impromptu properties are 
made available as a means of helping a good cause. 
‘*Tiittle Bo Peep’’ and her lost sheep are typical of the 
kind of thing that has great possibilities for a Terrific 
Tableau. 

A magnificent prize is awarded to the winning group, 
the prize being as magnificent as a bag of molasses 
kisses can be made to look. 


The Hand of Fate. 


Partners slowly march past a paper curtain where 
each one is invited to grasp the three hands of fate, the 
leader’s helpers standing close at hand to enforce the 
invitation. Guests are warned that if they drop any- 
thing they will be punished later. The first hand to 
come through a gap in the paper curtain (the room 
being darkened so that no one can see what the hands 
hold) has in it a very hot potato which the holder gently 
but firmly presses into the hand of the guest as he 


140 THE FUN BOOK 


shakes the hand of fate. The committee member behind 
the curtain wears a glove so that potatoes may be very 
hot indeed, with a fresh supply of even hotter ones 
always at hand. 

The second hand of fate lovingly presses a very large, 
and very wet, and very cold oyster into the hand of 
each guest as he passes by; and the third hand of fate 
has dipped its finger tips in thick molasses, so its hand- 
shake gives assurance that it will stick closer than a 
brother ! 


The Witch’s Cat. 

As many of the girls as possible are seated around 
a sheet, each one of them taking hold of the sheet with 
her right hand leaving her left hand free for passing 
things. It is carefully explained that the Witch of 
Hallowe’en had a favorite cat; that as long as the witch 
lived her cat prospered; that at the passing of the witch 
the cat pined away and finally died from grief; but 
that certain ‘‘phases’’ of the cat had been preserved 
and would now be passed around under the sheet. As 
each part 1s passed the name of it is announced. It is 
also made clear that if any part is dropped the dropper 
will be heavily fined. The room is then partially dark- 
ened, all the men and extra girls crowding around the 
sheet. 

The first thing passed is the cat’s head, which is a 
ball of yarn with dull-pointed needles sticking through 
it for whiskers. When that has gone the rounds the tail 
is passed, a tail taken from a fur. Next the hide, a piece 
of fur; then the teeth, a set of false teeth; the tongue, 
a pickle; the eye, an oyster, and so on! 

If at the end they are not all reduced to helplessnesg 


OCTOBER 141 


from hysterical laughter, the last thing passed is the 
heart of the cat which is one of those creepy spiders, 
while someone who is gifted in that line emits a most 
blood-curdling meow! 


The Bump Reader. 


Two of the committee may work out a stunt with very 
little preparation, but with results that are worth a 
ereat deal of effort. One of them is to dress as a witch 
who is able to read the bumps on a person’s head. The 
other is her manager who introduces her with a very 
profuse and elaborate introduction. The witch is then 
blindfolded and one of the worthy members of the 
audience is pointed at by the manager and asked to 
come to the platform. His name is not used, and there 
is very little talking done by the manager so that the 
witch can in no way tell from his conversation who is 
the owner of the head to be read. 

The witch then proceeds to feel and ‘‘read’’ the head 
of the man on the platform. It is amazing how very 
good she is and what close hits she makes! She does 
not hesitate to put a ‘‘punch’’ into her readings, and 
brings in a great many good shots. The audience is 
amazed at her blindfolded cleverness! After a two min- 
ute reading this subject is dismissed and another one is 
pointed at and asked to come forward. This continues 
for four readings, the manager being very careful to 
make his choice of subjects seem casual. The truth of 
the matter is that he and the witch have carefully 
worked out a list of five people who are to be read, and 
have prepared the readings as well in order to make sure 
of the ‘‘hot shot!’’ 

The witch ean easily memorize the order in which 


142 THE FUN BOOK 


her four subjects are to appear. If there should be a 
slip-up and one of the subjects should not be willing to 
be read the manager says rather loudly, ‘‘ Well, that’s 
too bad!’’ and the witch knows that they have slipped 
up on one and that she is to slip up on her readings 
accordingly. 


Palmistry. 

It is always to the point to have a bona fide palmist 
at hand, as well as one who professes to know palmistry. 
After making much ado over the marvellous lines in the 
hand of some very prominent man she exclaims, ‘‘ And 
your heart line shows that you are an awful flirt! 
Letting me hold your hand.’’ 


Domestic Difficulties. 


Two or three men are asked to stand in front of the 
other guests. Each one of them is given a kitchen 
apron which is tied up around his neck. When this 
armor has been put in place each one is given a pint 
bottle of milk with instructions to open it using fingers 
only. 

Never did performers of any kind have more sympa- 
thetic watchers. 


Hallowe’en Fishing. 

Guests are asked to stand in a line with elbows locked, 
men facing one way and the girls the other. The two 
leaders stand at either end, and when the line is ready, 
one of them calls across to the other, ‘‘Hello there, New 
York. How are you?”’ 

New York answers that everything is going fine and 
wishes to know if Los Angeles has had any fishing of 
late. 


OCTOBER 143 


**Oh, yes!’’ exclaims Los Angeles. ‘‘Look at the 
suckers on my line now!”’ 


Bell Swat. 

The two contestants are seated on the floor facing each 
other and with knees touching. Both of them are blind- 
folded, both have a little bell hung on a cord hanging 
around their necks, and both of them hold a swatter 
made of many newspapers folded together. At the sig- 
nal they are to start swatting each other, being guided 
as to the whereabouts of the enemy by the sound of 
the bell. 

The only disturbing feature of the game is that the 
director too, who referees the game and therefore must 
crouch very close to the two contestants, wears a bell! 


Hallowe’en Feeding. 

Three eouples are asked to stand before the other 
guests. Then the men, who must at all times face the 
audience, are asked to take three steps back while 
the girls turn their backs to the audience and face their 
partners. Each of the girls has been provided with a 
pan containing ten whole English walnut meats. At 
the signal the girls are to feed their partners whose 
hands are held behind them, by throwing the nut- 
meats at them. The couple that shows the best aim, of 
hand and mouth, get a whole box of nutmeats. — 

As a word of warning to hostesses, however, we should 
add that no hostess should count on any one of these 
three men getting enough nutmeats to enable him to 
last through the party without a more assured supply of 
refreshments. 

The hostess is in no way responsible for dilapidated 
eyes due to a poor aim. 


144: THE FUN BOOK 


The Hallowe’en Witch. 

Guests make a circle surrounding the Hallowe’en 
Witch who is in the center. The witch has a cane, and 
after she has been turned around three times, in order 
that she may not know at whom she is pointing, she 
points her cane at someone and immediately gives her 
frank and free opinion of that person. After that 
player fully understands just what the witch thinks of 
him she passes to the right and points at some other 
player and gives him too the benefit of her candid 
opinion. 

This continues until about ten players have been 
diagnosed by the witch. Though the witch has care- 
fully thought out her different ‘‘opinions’’ beforehand, 
they appear to be entirely impromptu. 

It will be just the minister’s luck to have her point 
at him and tell him what she thinks of him for having 
deserted his wife and ten children in Alaska. 


The Witches’ Ride. 

Four men are chosen as contestants, the four of them 
making two teams. The first one in each team is given 
a broomstick, and when the starting signal is given is 
to ride his broomstick to the goal and back and give it 
to the next rider. 

Usually he is willing enough to part with it. 


Shadows. 

Shadow pictures, made by different groups of the 
guests in turn while their identity is guessed by those 
watching, make a very good Hallowe’en event. 


Races. 
See April Fool Races. 


OCTOBER 145 


I See a Ghost. 
This game is too familiar to call for a description. 
Every Hallowe’en party program should include it. 


Tricks. 

Tricks of every description, several of which are writ- 
ten up in other books, may be included in Hallowe’en 
party programs. 


Refreshments. 

Just before refreshments guests are told about the 
old and truthful superstition that if before eating oné 
should sneeze, good luck is on its way. 

Just at that time the committee very surreptitiously 
becomes active in blowing snuff all about the room. 

Evidently plenty of good luck is imminent. 


For Small Groups 


HALLOWE’EN PARTNERS 


Be-witched Partners. 

The witch does her best—or her worst—in choosing 
partners. The men are lined up in one row and the 
girls in another, while the witch stands between them. 
The witch, who is blindfolded, walks down the men’s 
line and touches a man, immediately going across to the 
girls’ line and touching a girl. These two step out and 
become partners. 

This continues until every one has a partner—for bet- 
ter or for worse. 


~ Be-witched Hearts. 


A large yellow moon is pinned on a curtain or drapery. 
On it the hostess has pinned the ‘‘heart’’ of every man 


146 THE FUN BOOK 


present, these masculine hearts being black (no impli- 
cation whatever) and bearing their owner’s initials in 
yellow chalk. Each girl is provided with a yellow witch 
and in turn is blindfolded, goes to the moon and pins 
her witch on some man’s heart, or as near to some man’s 
heart as she can come in her blindfolded condition. 

That heart and the girl’s witch are then taken off the 
curtain and the rest of the girls try their luck at pin- 
ning down men’s hearts, 


Spider Web. 


It is up to each man to find the spider at the end 
of his web, a web having been prepared for each man. 
A number is tied to the end of the web. The webs are 
difficult to disentangle, being tied to the legs of furni- 
ture, to chandeliers, to other webs, etc. But it is worth 
the necessary trouble to find one’s way to the end, for 
the reward is a number which corresponds with the 
number held by some girl, girls having been asked to 
pick a number out of a box at the same time that the 
men are asked to choose a web. 


HALLOWE’EN FORTUNES 


A barrel hoop is suspended from the ceiling, hanging 
low enough so that the guest of average height may 
reach it with his teeth. From it are suspended for- 
tunes, one for every guest. Guests are blindfolded in 
turn, led up to this fortune hoop and asked to bite a 
fortune off the hoop. | 

Fortunes should include sticky apples which indicate 
a somewhat messy future; pickles, which of course fore- 
tell a lifelong matter of being in pickles; pieces of cake, 
which, although somewhat unpleasant to fish about in 


OCTOBER 147 


the dark for, promise great luxury and a life of good 
things to eat; carrots, foretelling a call to the farm; 
rulers for school teachers; pieces of cloth for tailors; 
and last but not least, a nice red pepper for the one 
who is to have a very spicy time for the rest of his life. 

It will probably take him the rest of his life to get 
the taste of red pepper out of his mouth! 

If the guests number more than ten, fortunes should 
be hung on a line rather than on a barrel hoop. 


Touch Fortune. 


Guests are shown a tray on which three things have 
been placed, objects which will indicate future gifts. 
They are told that they are to be blindfolded and then 
asked to touch one of these fortune-telling objects. They 
are sent out of the room and are brought back one at 
a time to touch their fortune. 

In the meantime, however, a cup of exceedingly sticky 
molasses has been added to the tray and as the groping 
fingers reach for some prize fortune they are thrust deep 
into the molasses. 

No rules of etiquette which forbid the licking of one’s 
fingers are enforced after this procedure. 


Couple Fortune. 

Just after partners have been chosen and are ready 
for refreshments the blindfolded witch again comes to 
the fore and tells their fortunes by couples. Couples 
are to line up in a column and starting with the first one 
the witch tells their fortunes couple by couple. She 
should prepare a list of fortunes beforehand and memor- 
ize them. 

She may tell the first couple that within a month they 


148 THE FUN BOOK 


will be married to each other. This fits the individual 
case beautifully, especially if the first couple happens 
to be the hostess, fat and fifty, and young Jimmy Burns 
who is still in his teens and madly in love with the 
hostess’ daughter. 


Mirror Fortune. 

Girls are taken to one room while men go into an- 
other. One by one the girls are brought to the doorway 
of the room in which the men are seated, the room being 
in darkness. As each girl in turn comes in she is given 
a mirror and a candle, told to take four steps backward 
and then look in the mirror over her left shoulder to 
see the man she will marry, or the one she should have 
married. 

In the meantime the men have lined up and in turn 
are brought up to peer into the mirror over a girl’s 
shoulder. 

While we should hardly like to take the responsibility 
of pairing off these guests for life, we are ready to take 
a chance on pairing them off as supper partners. 


Musical Fortunes. 

The hostess has arranged a scale of fortunes which 
corresponds with the notes of the two middle octaves on 
a piano. Blindfolded guests strike one of these notes 
and then are publicly informed of the fate they struck 
for themselves. 


Signs of the Zodiac. 
These can be found in any public library and copied 
off on slips of paper. 


OCTOBER 149 


Initial Fortunes. 

There are several guaranteed ways of finding the 
initials of the man one will marry. Among them are 
the following: 

1. To pare an apple and throw the peeling over the 
left shoulder, while other guests decide on what initial 
the peeling forms. Friends are usually only too eager 
to help perform this little act of friendliness. 

2. Another way is to spear a pumpkin while blind- 
folded. The pumpkin has had letters cut all over its 
rounded sides, and the letters speared with the pin are 
without doubt those of one’s future husband. 

3. A third way is to fish for soup paste letters which 
have been put into water. 

4, A fourth way is to melt lead and drop it into 
cold water. 


Number Fortune. 

Each guest draws a number out of a box. When 
they are seated each guest in turn tells his number to 
the hostess who reads aloud the fortune belonging to 
that number. 

Progressive Fortunes. ¢ 

Each guest is given a piece of paper at the top of 
which he writes his name folding it over so that it can- 
not be read by his neighbor to whom he passes his paper. 
When all slips of paper have been passed to right-hand 
neighbors guests are asked to write out a four word 
description of the owner’s past life, fold it over and 
pass it on, 

Next comes a four word description of the owner’s 
wife, sweetheart or husband. Next, four words on what 


150 THE FUN BOOK 


they think of each other. Finally, what their future 
will be. 

They are read at refreshment time, but not by their 
owners. 


Analysis. 

This is played like the game above except that players 
write only their names on the top of the papers, fold 
them and pass them in to the hostess who mixes them, 
again passes them out, and then asks for each player to 
write an adjective and a noun that will describe a person. 

These too are read aloud and again, not by the people 
whose names are on the papers! 


Infallible Fortunes. 

Other absolutely infallible ways of telling fortunes 
include the following: 

1. Wish over two wet apple seeds. Place them on the 
eyelids. The one which stays there the longer shows 
which wish will come true. 

2. Each girl has two small candles placed in front of 
her at the supper table. She names them both. The one 
which burns the longest shows which ‘‘gentleman 
friend’’ will remain true the longest. 

3. The same is true of tiny candles placed in nut- 
Shells and set afloat in a basin of water. 


Cake Fortunes. 

The usual fortune telling symbols are found in Hal- 
lowe’en cakes. They are as follows: A ring for mar- 
riage; a thimble for spinsterhood; a penny for poverty; 
and a tiny elephant for good luck. 


OCTOBER 151 


Saucer Fortunes. 

Symbols are placed in saucers and blindfolded for- 
tune hunters put their fingers in the fortune they choose 
for themselves. Symbols are as follows: A piece of 
dough for a soft life; a thorn for a thorny life; clear 
water for a life of smooth sailing; soapy water for 
stormy sailing; an empty dish for spinsterhood; a tooth- 
brush for a dentist husband; and a rubber band for a 
snappy life. 

Some of these symbols as well as those for Cake For- 
tunes may be hidden in sand and guests required to 
shovel the sand for them. 

Again they may be fished for by the fishpond method. 


Candle Blowing Fortune. 
| Guests may be asked to blow out candles while blind- 
folded, each candle standing for a different fortune or 
future. Those blown out promise their particular for- 
tunes to the ‘‘blower.’’ 
Fortunes may include a week in jail for speeding, and 
the like. 


GAMES 


Telltale Milk bottle. 
“While guests sit in a circle a milk bottle is spun around 
just after some very pertinent (not to say impertinent) 
question has been asked. The one at whom the milk- 
bottle points when it stops is the answer to the question. 

Questions may run as follows: 

1. Who likes himself? 

2. Who dyes his hair? 

3. Who is the next mayor? 

4, Who flirts outrageously. 


152 THE FUN BOOK 


Apple Bobbing. 

Bobbing for apples in water has never gone out of 
fashion. Nor has the method of spearing apples 
with pins. 


Hallowe’en Story telling. 

This should bé done in front of the fire of course, 
One cf the guests is given a ball of yarn and as she 
slowly unwinds it she tells a weird story. As soon as 
she comes to the end of her piece of yarn, for the ball 
is made up of different pieces of brightly colored yarn, 
she gives the ball to her neighbor. He in turn must 
take up her story until he has unwound his piece. This 
continues around the entire circle, the last one being 
obliged to put a thrilling climax to the story. 


Fagot Stunt. 
Each guest is given a fagot which he, in turn, is to 
throw into the fire. While it burns he must do a stunt. 


Toasts and Roasts. 

Marshmallows are roasted on the end of long wires. 
Chestnuts are thrown in the fire to be roasted. If they 
jump outside the fire they foretell a long, unexpected 
journey. If they pop up and down they foretell a life 
of intense excitement. If they roast peacefully like all 
good chestnuts should they foretell a life of placid peace 
and ease. If they sputter life will undoubtedly be one 
spat after another. 


Poor Pussy! 


This old-fashioned game is used to good advantage at 
a Hallowe’en party. 
Note the following adaptations : 


dame oes 


clap ea Se Raggi UMRO Tiara isis 
Pee NAS oni 
a 
ig 


P 

f 
F | 
: 


OCTOBER 153 


1. See Blind Man. Instead of blindfolding players 
who are It for games like Blind Man use a paper mache 
black cat’s head. They can be bought in any novelty 
store, and heavy pieces of black paper may be pasted 
over the eyes. 

2. See Imitation. 


face at his neighbor. 
3. See A Fabricated Santa Glee Use a witch. 


4. See Fortune Telling Eggs. 


5. See Discard. 
6. See April Fool Locomotion. Have contestants race 


blindfolded or backward. 
7. See Ouch, and Gobble. Substitute ‘‘Meow!’’ 


Each different ‘‘starter’’ makes a 


CHAPTER X 
NOVEMBER 
For Evther Large or Small Growps 


November makes one part of us very thankful for all 
our blessings and another part of us thankful for all 
the good things to eat that are inevitable, so a Thanks- 
giving party is made up of thankful stunts, those of the 
heart and those of the appetite. 


Thankful Stunts. 

The eroup is divided into smaller groups by using the 
grand march to bring the company up the room in lines, 
eight abreast. Each line of eight then forms a thankful 
family which is to prepare a stunt portraying the thing 
for which they as a group are thankful. 

They are allowed to forage around for impromptu 
properties and at the end of ten minutes they are called 
out in turn to do their stunts before the others. Three 
judges pass upon them and decide which group ap- 
pears to have the best grounds for being thankful. 

Suggestions for leaders to offer groups may include 
these : 

1, One group is thankful for its wonderful beauty, 
and its admiration of itself is amazing to say the least! 

2. Another group is thankful for its strength and ex- 
hibits that strength in most astonishing ways. 

154 


NOVEMBER 155 


3. A third group is thankful for its brains, and with 
a teacher to lead them on shows how extremely smart 
they all are. 

Each group is to continue its stuntifying until the 
audience has guessed what that group thinks it has to be 
thankful for. 


| More Thankful Stunts, 


“This game is ‘played exactly like the one above except 
that the different families prepare a thankful stunt 
depicting some quality which they are glad they as a 
family do not possess. Undesirable traits which are 
typical are as follows: 1. Meanness. 2. Pugnacity. 
3. Pride. 4. Stinginess. 5. Rudeness. 6. Laziness. 
7. Insolence. 8. Timidity 9. Sarcasm. 

The committee will get the surprise of its life when 
it sees how thoroughly the guests will enjoy being as 
pugnacious as they please; as rude ang as insolent ! 


Stormy \ Weather. 
The erand march is isda to ue the guests lined up 
in eight lines, each guest taking plenty of room for 
himself. The leader tells them that a terrific storm has 
arisen and that if they are keen barometers they can 
sense the feeling of the storm. She will read weather 
reports to them and as she does this they are to pan- 
tomime the action of the storm. However, when she 
calls out the direction in which the wind is blowing they 
are to face in the opposite direction. For example, 
when she says, ‘‘The wind is blowing toward the east,’’ 
everyone must face the west. When she says, ‘‘The 
wind is blowing toward the south,’’ they must at once 
face the north. But when she says, ‘‘The wind is whirl- 


156 THE FUN BOOK 


ing!’’ they must spin around in a circle three times. 
And when she says, ‘‘The wind is variable,’’ they must 
sway back and forth until she gives them another direc- 
tion. All orders must be continued until another order 
is given. It is a good plan for the leader to demonstrate 
and then let them practice each movement before she 
begins reading the weather reports. 

If the leader will prepare a weather report before- 
hand, one in which there will be plenty of action, this 
may be the funniest game of the evening. There is 
always the most ridiculous confusion when guests are 
supposed to face west but face east instead, and then 
have to be turned around by their neighbors. And if 
the leader will end her report by saying, ‘‘ And the wind 
whirled (allowing them to whirl three times), and 
whirled (repeat), and whirled—’’ the game will end in 
helpless laughter and the speedy demise of the whirlers! 


Gobble! 
~"“"Sée Hooray! The rules for Gobble! are the same 
except that the players, who have chosen the name of 
some animal, immediately imitate the call of that animal 
when the leader’s right hand is raised; keep silent when 
her left hand is raised; and imitate a turkey’s ‘‘gobble 
gobble!’’ when both hands are raised. 

Another way of playing this is to have the leader tell 
a story in which the names of barnyard animals are 
often mentioned. In each case those who have chosen 
or been assigned the part of a certain animal must rise 
and imitate that animal whenever its name is called. 
Whenever the turkey is mentioned they all must rise and 
‘*Gobble!’’ for all they are worth. — 


NOVEMBER 157 


Thanksgiving Orchestra. ~ = 

Still another way of playing this game is to furnish 
a Thanksgiving orchestra by letting each guest choose 
the part of some instrument of an orchestra. When the 
leader’s right hand is directing the music everyone must 
play his instrument zealously, but woe unto the inatten- 
tive musician who keeps on playing when the left hand 
is up! 

When the leader uses both hands for leading every- 
one must sing at the top of his lungs in addition to 
playing his instrument. Nearby neighbors having noth- 
ing for which to be thankful when this game is played. 


Now You Bite It, Now You Don’t. 

“Three delinquents who were the losers in some other 
contest are asked to show their ability to get a meal 
even under the most adverse circumstances. Strings 
have been tied to three apples, the other end of each 
string being tied to a wand or a broomstick handle. 
This broomstick handle has a heavy cord attached to its 
exact middle and this cord is fastened above to a chan- 
delier or to a doorway. One apple is pointed out to each 
contestant as his own and it is up to him to eat his own 
individual apple, under no circumstances biting that of 
anyone else. 

All the time they are trying to bite their apples the 
leader is swinging the wand that holds the apples so 
that it becomes a case of ‘‘Now you bite it, now you 
don’t.”’ 


Ouchi 
The leader is to tell or read a story while all the 
guests sit about informally. The story may be about 


158 THE FUN BOOK 


a Thanksgiving party and must contain the word 
‘‘Ouch!’’ at very frequent intervals. Whenever that 
word occurs all guests must go down on their knees, 
assume expressions of great discomfort (which by the 
way becomes spontaneous all too soon), and cry out 
**Ouch!’’ 

The storyteller should pause after each ‘‘Ouch!’’ in 
order to give her listeners plenty of time to assume the 
Ouch positions! The first three who protest that they 
can get down on their knees no longer are used as vic- 
tims in some hoax or in some particularly ridiculous 
race. 


The Rocking Chair..Drag. 

This is a contest primarily for those who wish to 
reduce—or who need to reduce—because of too hearty 
Thanksgiving eating. 

Four couples and two heavy rocking chairs are 
aeeded for this event. There are two couples to a team, 
and the first couple of each team is given a rocking 
chair in which the lady is to sit and be rocked to the 
goal and back. . When ready, the lady sits in the chair 
which faces in the opposite direction from the goal, the 
man grasps the back of the chair and at the signal starts 
dragging the chair and its occupant to the goal and back. 

If they ever do get back the next couple goes through 
the same agony, and regardless of which team wins all 
four couples are given a big dish of ice cream. 


Double Jerusalem. 

Girls form two columns. They are asked to number 
off by twos, the twos facing in one direction and the 
ones in the opposite direction. Each girl is to put her 


NOVEMBER 159 


right hand on her hip. Men march around this double 
column and when the music stops they snatch at one 
of the hooked elbows. The man who does not get one 
must go and sit on the floor on the sideline. 

One ‘‘elbow’’ is taken away from each line at every 
round, and one more bachelor added to the line on the 
floor at the sceles: 


aged Se 


| Eanity Seantd 

ach ees i given a slip of paper which assigns him 
a part to play in one of the families at this great family 
reunion. He may be anything in his particular family, 
from one of the inevitable twins to the great grand- 
father. When all members of a family have found each 
other they are given ten minutes, plus some very im- 
promptu properties, and are told to prepare family 
stunts. The family showing the most talent is allowed 
to sit and watch the less talented families run the very 
strenuous Spring Beauties Race, which is written up 
in the chapter on May. 


i Hidden ‘Turkeys. 


“Six or seven of the guests, the number depending on 
the size of the crowd, are given small candy turkeys 
wrapped in tissue paper. They are to conceal them and 
to let no one know they have them. Guests are told only 
that certain other guests hold magnificent prizes and 
that the ninth person to shake hands with each of these 
unknown persons is to get a prize; that these prize- 
holders are to secretly count the people shaking hands 
with them and when the ninth person shakes hands with 
them just to make a mental note of it. After three 
minutes of violent handshaking the prizeholders are 


160 THE FUN BOOK 


asked to come out in front and announce their ‘‘ninth 
handshakers.’’ 
The magnificent prizes are then awarded. 


Farmer and Turkey. . 

~ Guests use the grand march to form lines of eight. 
They are asked to hold the hands across their lines, but 
when the whistle blows to take a sharp quarter turn to 
the right and quickly take hold of their new neighbors’ 
hands. Every time a whistle blows they are to do this, 
always turning to the right and always taking their new 
neighbors’ hands immediately. A farmer and a turkey 
are chosen, it being the business of the farmer to chase 
the turkey, of course. 'The turkey is given a bit of a 
head start and then the farmer is after him, running 
up and down the constantly changing streets and alleys 
formed by the turning lines. 

When the turkey is caught he chooses a new turkey 
and the farmer chooses a new farmer, the leader being 
careful to fill up the gaps made in the line so no breaks 
are made in the changing streets and alleys. No farmer 
is allowed to break through or tag through a line. 


The Chopstick Chew. 

Hach of the two contestants is provided with a pair 
of chopsticks and a pan of baked beans. It is their 
business to start eating the beans when the signal is 
given, but they must eat them via the chopsticks. 

A much more inhuman way to use chopsticks is to 
provide each of the two contestants with chopsticks and 
a pan of cranberries. Using their chopsticks the con- 
testants are to carry the cranberries one by one to an 
empty pan at the other end of the room. The one who 


NOVEMBER 161 


first succeeds in this should be given the privilege of 
naming some stunt which the other fellow must perform. 


Whistling Race. 


Nine or ten women may be asked to ‘‘run’’ this race. 
Facing the other guests the first one starts to whistle 
any tune she knows. As soon as some one in the audi- 
ence recognizes the tune and calls out the correct name 
of it, she may stop. A record is kept of the length of 
time she had to whistle before her tune was recognized. 

Then the second one whistles until her tune is recog- 
nized, and so it goes down the entire line of contestants, 
in each case a record being kept of the time it took 
for the audience to recognize the tune being whistled. 

The three whose tunes were recognized in the least 
time, are then asked to stand before the audience, the 
other contestants being excused. These three artists are 
asked to whistle their tunes through from start to finish, 
the only difficulty being that they are to do it at the 
same time. At the conclusion each one is given a fan. 
Se will need it. 


Thanksgiving Siegine. ) 


“Just after refreshments, when some of the guests cme 
finished and others have not, community singing is 
very good means of getting everyone back into ie 
spirit of the party for the last few events of the evening. 
‘At first the singing is just sketchy and rather general 
in character, but after most of the guests have joined in 
the group is divided into sections which are pitted 
against each other in competitive singing, a committee 
of judges announcing after each song which section was 


162 THE FUN BOOK 


the best. If the judges can make their decisions awful 
enough this can be made the funniest event of the 
evening, 

The committee in charge should prepare a suggestive 
list of songs which include all the old favorites with a 
great many funny songs interspersed. Let the leader 
call for the oldest popular song anyone can remember 
. and give a foolish prize to the one who produces it. 
\. “After the Ball Was Over’’ will prove to be quite new 
as compared with the old-timers that will be called forth! 

Sing ‘‘John Brown’s Body’’ omitting the last word. 
In the next verse omit the last two words; then the 
last three words and so on until all the words except 
‘‘John Brown’’ have been omitted, the leader going 
through strenuous ‘‘leading motions’’ during the 
silences. 

As a means of demonstrating the importance of at- 
tention the leader announces that his singers are to 
watch him closely and sing only as long as he sings, 
stopping the instant he stops, even though it be in the 
middle of a note. The owners of ‘‘hangover’’ voices 
are invited to come out and stand beside the leader. 

As one last supreme effort, each group is assigned a 
different song which it is to sing at the same time every 
other group sings theirs. The group which the judges 
can hear above the other groups gets the blue ribbon. 

As a closing song, let them all sing Liza Jane. The 
verses are sung sitting down, but in the chorus, each ~ 
time they come to ‘‘Oh Eliza,’’ every singer must rise, 
raise his arms and just whoop a long drawn-out ‘‘Oh 
Kliza!’’ sitting down again immediately, ready, however, 
to rise and whoop the next ‘‘Oh Eliza!’’ 


NOVEMBER 163 


For Small Groups 


Pork and Beans Partners. 

“Bachman takes a slip of paper out of a ‘‘partner 
box,’’ while each girl takes hers out of another box. On 
these different slips have been written the names of cer- 
tain articles of food which are invariably put together. 
After everyone has a slip Mr. Pork goes out to find Miss 
Beans, while Mr. Bread looks for Miss Butter, and Mr. 
Lamb hunts for Miss Mint Sauce. 

When they all thonk they have found their right 
partners the hostess reads the correct list, thereby tak- 
ing the joy out of life for Mr. Steak who tried to make 
himself believe that steak is invariably accompanied by 
mashed potatoes instead of fried onions, the steak being 
temporarily infatuated with Miss Mashed Potatoes and 
enjoying a tiff with Miss Fried Onions. 


66 


Sculpturing. 

~ Guests carve faces out of apples and figures out of 
earrots. Only the latest modes in faces and figures are 
allowed. 


Progressive Cranberries. 

There are two ‘couples at ach table for this game, each 
couple being interested in spearing more cranberries 
with their joint hatpin than the other couple is able 
to spear. | 


Recipes for Happiness and for Health. 

A prize is offered the guest who writes the best recipe 
for happiness using the letters of his name in turn for 
the first letters of each word. No one disputes the de- 
cision of the judges when they award the prize to Fred 


164 THE FUN BOOK 


Stelf whose happiness recipe calls for: 1. Fun. 
2. Rainbows. 38. Eyesight. 4. Decorations. 5. Sleep. 
6. Tea parties. &. Laughter. ‘8. FOOD! 

Recipes for health too, are enlightening. 


Miniature Tenpins. 


“Clothespins are set up like tenpins and marbles are 
used instead of balls. 


Clothespin Croquet. 

‘Clothespins are set up on a table like croquet arches. 
Marbles take the place of croquet balls and they are 
snapped through the arches. 


Table Tiddledewinks. 


Races across the length of table with the discs used in 
Tiddledewinks furnish real excitement. 


Left- handed. Tiddledewinks. 


The game is played as usual except for the very un- 
usual rule of having to use the left hand only. 


Circle Tiddledewinks. 


~Three~conicentric circles are the goal for a Tiddlede- 
wink contest. Points are made as in quoits, the one 
coming closest to the center winning one point each time. 


».Note the following adaptations: 
1. See Hee Balance. Use apples. 
2. See Wedding Music. Thanksgiving Music. 
/ 8. See Spring Flowers. Use Vegetables. For ex- 
‘ample: Pump-kin; toe-mate-toe; squash; let-us. 
4, See Sticky Snowballs. 
5. See Eating Contests. 


NOVEMBER 165 


6. See Various Resolutions. Give up food. 
7. See Dramatic Partnership. Use barnyard ealls. 
8. See Flatheads, Pan Balance, and Potato Relays. 
Use apples. 
9. See Cherry Race. Use apples. 
10. See The Vicious Donkey. Use a snappy turkey. 


CHAPTER XI 


‘DECEMBER 


TRAE 


For Evther Laeys or Small. Groups 


If it is at all possible let the committee provide strings 
of bells for the guests to wear around their necks all 
through the party, or if strings of bells are impossible, 
then one bell on a string for each guest. There never 
was a more Christmas-y sound, and grownups are just 
as eager to make a ‘‘joyful noise’’ as are children. Red 
paper caps, too, surely add a festive air, as do toy 
balloons tied to guests’ shoulders. 


The Christmas Grand March. 
~ Each’ eiiest Was"béen asked to bring some noisy ten 
cent gift securely wrapped in paper. When most of 
the guests have arrived they form a circle and at signal 
from the leader start passing their gifts to the right. 
At the hostess’ whistle each one keeps the gift he is 
holding but does not open it. Instead, all the girls form 
in one line, and the men in another, the two lines sep- 
arating and meeting at the rear of the room, coming up 
the center with partners. When everyone is nicely 
hooked up to a partner and they stand in double file 
down the center of the room, the order is given to open 
the gifts and demonstrate their worth. 
166 


DECEMBER 167 


No second bidding is necessary, for if there is any- 
thing grownups like better than making noise on a fes- 
tive occasion, it is making more noise. To take care of 
this the leader starts a grand march, having them march 
up in twos and fours and eights and then form a single 
line, each one putting his right hand on the shoulders 
of the one in front of him. They march around the room 
in zigzag fashion, the music getting faster and faster 
until they are running as fast as they can, still keeping 
hands on shoulders—maybe—and working their toys 
as hard as they can! There will be no need of artificial 
urging for a more social spirit. 


‘ The Doll | Sale. 


- The doll merchant demonstrates his dolls to the in- 
terested—oh, very interested!—onlookers. They are 
four or five innocent victims whom he picked out of the 
audience, or they may be people who deserve to pay 
a fine for being the losers in some contest. The mer- 
chant calls on them to ‘‘smile sweetly for the ladies,’’ 
to ery bitterly, to sing a little song, to say ‘‘Mama!”’ 
and ‘‘Papa!’’ as all good dolls do. 

The audience votes on the best doll baby in the group 
and that none too flattered doll baby receives a darling 
little doll as a reward. Let us hope that he is a stal- 
wart masculine person. 


Safety Bells. 

“AIaround the walls of the room red paper bells have 
been pinned, some of them high and some of them low. 
There should be more bells than there are guests, but 
some of the bells should be pinned up so high that they 
will do the guests no good! When the music starts 


168 THE FUN BOOK 


guests are asked to walk around the room, there being 
no definite line of march, the only requisite being that 
all guests must keep moving all the time. Suddenly the 
whistle blows and everyone is to run for a bell. Any- 
one who does not have his hand on a bell by the time 
the leader’s next whistle blows gets a seat in the center 
of the room. 

When the (no, I won’t say dumb-bells!) are plucked 
out of the group and seated in the center of the circle the 
game goes on as before, but in the meantime the com- 
mittee has taken away three or four of the lower bells, 
which act will provide three or four more victims for the 
next round. Each time some of the lower bells are taken 
away, and each time the group in the circle is added to. 

The last ten to be left in the race expect a prize, 
but instead they are invited to become the victims in the 
next game. Such is life! 


Candle Steppers, 

Four stout men are chosen to run this race. In front 
of each one have been placed four tall red Christmas can- 
dles in arow. These candles are lighted and contestants 
are asked to step over the candles in their rows, to get 
the measure of the necessary step. After they have 
practised they are blindfolded, and then told to start 
when the whistle blows. 

In the meantime the candles have been removed. 
Imagine the mental stepping these stoutish racers go 
through in trying to step over tall, lighted candles 
blindfolded! But it is not their mental stepping that 
convulses the onlookers. Their entirely unnecessary 
physical stepping is enough to bring tears to the eyes 
of strong men. 


DECEMBER 169 
Parcel Post. 


Serkharnamenaet 


Cita men ‘and a girl form a trio and there are two trios 
to each team. Each team is given a straight chair on 
which the girl is to sit while the men carry her to the 
goal and return. When the first team returns—if it 
ever does—the chair is quickly given up to the second 
trio of a team, which group goes through this same 
performance. 

We are too humane to suggest their having to walk 
backwards in this fashion, but if the readers are not too 
humane to try it—that is hardly our affair. 


Carnival. 


Guests have been given toy balloons on their arrival 
and asked to fasten them on their shoulders. Just after 
refreshment they are given the privilege and invitation 
to break any other person’s balloon. The one who can 
keep his balloon intact the longest gets another balloon 
as a prize. ‘‘To him that hath shall be given!’’ 


The Lost Christmas Gift. 


A kitchen table serves as the hunting ground for this 
elusive Christmas gift. A man and a girl are chosen as 
the hunter and the gift to be searched for. Both are 
blindfolded, put their hands on the table at opposite 
corners and at the signal from the leader start to move 
around the table, the girl trying to avoid the man while 
he is trying to catch her, both of them moving very 
slowly and being as quiet as possible in order to hear the 
other’s movements. 

The moment is inevitable when both are stealthily 
moving toward each other. The suspense on the part of 
the audience is as interesting to watch as is the chase. 


170 THE FUN BOOK 


At the ‘‘clash’’ which always comes as a huge surprise 
to both hunter and hunted, a new couple is chosen. This 
may continue through three couples, but while the 
fourth man is hunting for his ‘‘package’’ the blind- 
folder is taken off that package; she is quietly removed 
and the man’s vain, furtive dashes and futile, stealthy 
movements create joy among the onlookers, to say the 
least! 


Gift Exchange. 

The guests have been asked to bring ten cent gifts 
wrapped up securely, and these gifts are collected at 
the door. After all the guests have arrived the men are 
asked to make a circle with all the girls in a circle sur- 
rounding them. If there are more girls than men (and 
there will be!) let some of the girls fill out the men’s 
circle so that there will be an even number in each circle. 
Every man and every girl is given a parcel. The two 
circles are facing in opposite directions and when the 
musie starts they march around the room with their 
parcels under their arms. 

Suddenly the music stops and the whistle blows, 
which is the signal for all the marchers to stop and to 
make a deep bow before their partners, who in each case 
are the ones directly opposite them when the musie 
stops. The partners then exchange gifts, open their 
parcels, examine their gifts and if they like them and 
want to keep them, drop out of the circle. If, however, 
one of them does not like his gift, neither one can drop 
out of the circle and they both have to wrap up their 
gifts, march around when the music starts again and 
exchange their parcels for some other gift. This con- 
tinues until they are all satisfied, but in no case can a 


DECEMBER 171 


player drop out of the circle unless his partner does too, 
for the number must be kept even. 
Noisy gifts are usually most acceptable. 


Christmas Toys. 

“EHachguest*is invited to draw a slip of paper out of 
a box, which slip will tell him to what family of toys 
he belongs. When everyone has his slip of paper the 
different families of toys are to congregate, the drums 
in one corner, the horns in another, the rattles, dolls, 
soldiers, wagons, and roller skates in another part of 
the room. Each group is to put on a stunt that will 
represent its toy, the group giving the best stunt being 
presented with the toy it represents. 

Some of the stunts will be very simple, like that of 
the drum, while others like the mechanical dolls, whose 
gifts must be shown off, or the soldiers who must give 
a dress parade, will be more elaborate. A great pile of 
newspapers and bits of red paper and pins are made 
available. It is also made clear that any group may 
borrow anything it likes from any of the guests present! 


Christmas Races. _ 

Candle races of every description are suitable for 
Christmas parties, races in which contestants run with 
lighted candles in their hands, or in their mouths; or 
races to blow out lighted candles blindfolded. 


Cooperation, 

Players are divided into lines of equal length. The 
first player in each line is given five Indian clubs. At 
the signal he is to start placing his clubs in a straight 
line in front of him, the clubs equally distant apart, and 
the last club to be on the goal line. He then runs back 
to touch off the next runner who is to collect all five 


172 THE FUN BOOK 


elubs and bring them back to the third runner. This 
third runner is to again place them all as did the first 
runner, while the fourth runner collects them for the 
fifth. This continues until all the players of a line have 
run the race. The line which finishes first may name 
some race or stunt which all the losers must put on. 

If a elub falls down the runner must go back and 
put it up again before the next runner can take 
his place. Indian clubs are not always absolutely 
trustworthy ! 


For Small Groups 


Fabricated Santa Claus. ~~~ 

This is the kind of a game which is infinitely more fun 
to watch than to play. The ‘‘racers’’ may be the losers 
in some other contest or they may have been the ones 
who had to pay a forfeit in some previous game. 

A large sheet of white paper, at least three feet 
across, 18 pinned on a heavy curtain across the room 
from each one of the two competing teams, there being 
no more than six or seven in a team. The figure of an 
armless Santa Claus has been drawn in red chalk on the 
paper. Each contestant has been supplied with some 
‘‘part’’ which is indispensable to Santa Claus. The 
first one may hold a paper eye; the next one an arm, 
or a shoe, or a cap, or an ear, or a nose, or a mouth. 
When the starting signal is given the first player in 
each line who has been blindfolded is led up to his Santa 
Claus and pins on the ‘‘part’’ he holds. 

If it happens to be an eye we hope he pins it some- 
where near where the eye should be, but it is far more 
likely to be pinned on the right heel! As soon as he 


DECEMBER 173 


has pinned on his eye he takes off the blindfolder and 
runs back to put it on the next player. This player in 
turn is led up to the Santa Claus, pins on his ‘‘foot’’ 
and gives his blindfolder to the next player. So it con- 
tinues until all the players of both competing teams 
have pinned on their eyes and ears and feet. The judges 
then decide which Santa Claus looks the most complete. 

They will have a hard time! It is always a matter 
of deciding whether an ear looks less awful on a toe than 
it does on an elbow. 


on a table, guests are to make gifts for their partners, no 
one being allowed to give any advice or any help to said 
partner. 

The material provided for these gifts should include 
empty match boxes; empty spools; brightly colored 
yarns; untrimmed hats; chewing gum; water colors; 
tacks and hammer; pins, paste; scissors; faded and 
gaudy ribbons, chiffon, and flowers; dolls; clothespins; 
cotton, adhesive tape; and empty milk bottles. 

A wonderful variety of gifts should result. 


Christmas Stockings. 

Hath cuest is given a stocking which is made of some 
cheap material. He is to fill it and top off the contents 
with a bit of advice which he throws in free of charge 
as his personal contribution. Fillers for the stockings 
are the same kind of material as that named for Man- 
made Gifts, nuts and stick candy being added to the 
assortment. 


Christmas Messages. 
Players are lined up as for a relay race. The hostess 


a ee hi ae oe 


“174 THE FUN BOOK 


whispers a certain Christmas message to the leader in 
each row. Then when the starting signal is given these 
leaders turn around and whisper that message to the 
one directly behind them. He in turn whispers it to 
the one behind him, and so it goes to the end of the line. 
The last one in the line runs forward and whispers what 
he heard to the leader of his line. The row which first 
gets its message back to the leader wins that event— 
maybe. <A great deal depends on how closely the re- 
sulting message resembles the one that left the leader! 
It is up to the hostess to decide which message came 
back the least garbled in the shortest time. 

The line which wins four out of five events wins the 
game. No one is allowed to repeat a message or to 
whisper it loudly enough for anyone but his particular 
‘‘receiver’’ to hear. 


Guessing Gifts. 

“Sevéral “inexpensive fun-making gifts have been 
wrapped up and put in Santa Claus’ sack. Guests are 
to guess what is In each package. The one who first 
guesses correctly gets the gift and must open and dem- 
onstrate it before the other guests. 

Not so good, when the package is found to contain a 
noisy horn. 

No guest is invited to guess after he has received a 
gift. This may sound like superfluous advice, where - 
grownups are concerned. MHostesses will learn that 
it is not! 


The Gift Toss. 


The same principle is used for this game, in this 
case, however, gifts being tossed at guests. As each 


DECEMBER 175 


guest catches a gift he must open it, demonstrate its 
use and then drop out of the catching crowd. 

Publie opinion forces the mayor to demonstrate the 
lipstick he found in his catch, but it was malice afore- 
thought rather than public opinion that forced Santa 
Claus to throw it straight at the mayor. 


Grab Bag. 

- Gifts*chosen from a grab bag too, must be demon- 
strated. Kid hair curlers do not add to Mrs. Stout’s 
peculiar style of beauty. 


Christmas Blind Man’s Buff. 

Every player but one is blindfolded. That one excep- 
tion has a bell around his neck, which tells his where- 
abouts to those looking for him. The one who catches 
him is privileged to take off his own blindfolder and put 
the bell on himself. 


Hidden Gifts. 

~ Each guest is given a card which will bear directions 
leading to another card, which will bear directions lead- 
ing to another card, ad infinitum. The last card of each 
guest’s set of cards is not a card but a gift. 


Gifts on Strings. 

~~ Giftsare dttached to the end of a string, each guest 
being given a string and having to find his way through 
the maze in which the string is tied, to the gift at 
the end. 


Volunteer Gifts. 

Each guest is given a piece of paper on which is 
written, ‘‘My prize possession is my I gladly 
give it to .’ He is to fill in these blanks, sign 


176 THE FUN BOOK 


his name and then pass in the slip when they are col- 
lected. They are taken in charge by the leader and in 
the lull after refreshments she reads them aloud. 

They make choice reading! The prize possession of 
the minister who sings like a crow, is his voice, and he 
gladly gives it to the leading soprano. Miss Dale’s prize 
possession is her ‘‘figger’’ (Miss Dale not weighing over 
two hundred pounds), and she gladly gives it to the 
poor! 


Note the following adaptations; 

1. See Courage. 

2. See Wedding Music. Use Carols. 

3. See Valentine Postoffice, and Valentine Hunt. Use 
Gifts. 

4. See Fishpond. Fish for gifts. 

5. See A Snappy Happy New Year. Use ‘‘Merry 
Christmas !’’ 
: 6. See Be-witched Partners. Santa Claus replaces the 
' witch. 
_  %. See Dramatic Partnership. Men pantomime the 
action of toys. 
8. See Tournament of Roses. Use ‘‘snowballs.’’ 
9. See Piggy. Use candy. 
10. See Hooray! Santa Claus takes the place of 
George Washington. 


‘ 


i 
: 
i 


CHAPTER XII 


SUGGESTIONS TO LEADERS 
Partners. 


BOLLS 


When a large group is being entertained it is always 
advisable to use ‘‘large methods’’ in pairing off guests 
with partners. The grand march is, of course, the easiest 
possible method, easiest not only because it handles a 
large group without difficulty but also because it is auto- 
matic in its pairing off. Every leader knows what ques- 


tion. thai takes care of! Guests are asked to line up in 


Sea 


two lines facing ‘the leader, men in one and girls in the 
other. The two lines separate, meet again at the back 
of the room and come up the center with partners. 

Another very simple method is to have the men line 
up in one room and girls in another. When the music 
starts the two lines are to march into the main room 
where they meet, each guest taking the partner who 
comes to him in the line of march. ‘‘This sight unseen’’ 
method is very popular. Grownups are just as inter- 
ested in the unknown as are children! 

These two methods of getting partners illustrate the 
general principle on which a leader should work when 

arranging for partners in..a.darge group, i.e., to use 
some method which will be of interest to the group as a 
_ whole rather than to just the two people involved in the 
partnership. 
177 


178 THE FUN BOOK 


Dividing into Groups. 

Methods of dividing guests of a large group into 
smaller groups should include the following: 

1. Guests line up in two lines, men in one and girls 
in the other. The lines separate, march around the 
room and meet at the back, coming up the center with 
partners. The first two swing right, the next two left, 
and so forth, and when they meet at the back of the 
room they come up in fours. Next, four right and four 
left and then they come up in lines of eights. The eight 
people in each row form a group. 

2. Divide guests according to similar first names ; 
initials; the month one ’s birthday is in; “the. state” “One 


| Ay was hone in; the street one lives on; professions ; fic- 


titious fanile names ; similar numbers on tags.or sym- 
bols of some kind. 

When numbers are given out the leader should be 
careful to arrange for no more than ten players to_a 
group. If there are not as many guests present as she 
had counted on she will again have to be careful to give 
out a limited number of the different numbers. For ex- 
ample, if there are about one hundred guests present, 
numbers should run up to ten. This will make for ten 
ones, ten twos, ten threes, and so forth up to ten tens, 
ten guests to each group. If the group is much smaller 
the numbers should run up to five, making for five in a 
eroup. Guests are to find other guests who hold the 
Same number and form family groups. 

It helps a great deal either to have signs in different 
corners of the room, under which signs the different 
groups are to congregate, or for the leader to announce 
the gathering place for each group. 

It is always advisable to have a leader’s assistant for 


SUGGESTIONS TO LEADERS 179 


every group to help with suggestions, especially when 
stunts are called for. The action of every stunt must be 
continued until the audience has guessed what is being 
portrayed. 


y Circle Games. 

‘When circle games are being played in small groups 
it is almost always inadvisable to have more than fifteen 
players to a circle except in such circle games as eall for 
constant action from the entire group. 

When any of the circle games listed under Games for 
either Large or Small Groups are being used in large 
groups, guests should form one large cirele in order to 


avoid any division of interest. 


Races. 
~The leader should be careful not to have too many 
contestants in races. For the races which are more in- 
teresting to watch than to run there should never be 
more than eight or ten contestants. For the races which 
eall for all “ouests it - is advisable to limit the number 
forming each team to either five or six couples to ten or - 
twelve contestants. TOS Te UC GEA CRA EM 
Human in posts or goals for each row of contestants add 
interest toa any race, They usually add hazards as well! 
The length of each racecourse will have to be deter- 
mined for every race by the leader. If, after a race has 
started, she notes that the course is too long or too short 
to make for continued interest it is always advisable for 
her to interrupt the game; to either compliment or good- 
naturedly ridicule contestants and change the limits of 
the course rather than to have the race a failure because 
of a poorly judged racecourse. 


180 \ THE FUN BOOK arp As}, 


**Quote’’ Games. 

Where quotation marks are found enclosing the huame 
of a game directions for that game are found in other 
books. 


Adapting Material. 

Leaders will quickly see how easily most of the games 
described in this book may be adapted from one month 
to another. In a great many cases it is merely a matter 
of changing a ‘‘symbol’’ and perhaps an exclamation. 
For example, The Shamrock Hunt may be used for a 
Thanksgiving party y by substituting turkeys for sham- 
rocks and ‘‘Gobble!’’ for ‘‘Hooray!’’ and it may be 
used for Hallowe’en by substituting black cats and 
**Meow!”’ “Again, the game ‘“Gobble!’’ may be used for 
Hallowe’en by using ‘‘Meow!’’ Headwork and Watch- 


ful Waiting may be used for Thanksgiving by-naming | @— 


animals or vegetables instead of rivers. They may be 
jused for May by substituting flowers or birds or colors. 
‘Potato Jerusalem may be used for Hallowe’en by mark- 
ing large yellow or black crosses on the floor, guests hay- 
ing to sit on these crosses when the music stops; and it 
may be used for September by using books instead of 
potatoes. 

The following so-called..symbols, most of them made 
of paper, make adaptations easy: January—cotton snow- 
balls; February—hearts, hatchets, cherries, flags; March 


—shamrocks, pigs, snakes, potatoes; April—EKaster bells, 


eggs, rabbits, green hearts, red shamrocks, pink witches, 
etc.; May and June—flowers; September—chalk marks, 
books; October—witches, black cats, yellow moons; 
November—turkeys, apples ; December—Christmas bells, 
Christmas candies. 


Se 


fe 
€ 


RELATE MICS AON PR eeiyy, 


% 
$ 
t 


SUGGESTIONS TO LEADERS 181 
The following games are typical of the kind of game 


Vole is easily adapted Py a change of symbols : 


1. Red-eared Bunny. ‘» “. 7. Noah’s Ark, 
2. Chin Chin and gee 8. Musical Egg. 

Nose. ‘® | 
3. Flower Jump." +”, 9. Muddy March. ” | 
4, Hearts and Flours. 2?@ 10. Leap Year Hunt. ~ ” 
5. Emerald Isle. .*’ 11. Colored Heart Hunt. — 
6. Hearty Singing. © 12. Hidden Turkeys. / > “ 


Other games are adapted to rahe programs by 
changing their ‘‘subject_matter.’”? Chesty Spelling, | 
Snappy Spelling, Dramatic Spelling, Train of Thought, 
Washington without Lincoln, Truth, Unlimited Vocabu- 
laries, and Boomerang Conversation may be localized b 
a rule calling for certain kinds of words or sentiments 
i.e., Christmas words, valentine messages, names 0 
flowers, etc., etc. 

Still other games are more general in their applica- 
tion and may be used for any month. They are as 


_ follows: 
1. School Discipline. 4, Stormy Weather. j 
2. April Fool Mixer. 5. The Wreck. | 
3. Spring Beauties. 6. How Do You Do. 
Much of the material written up for Hallowe’en and. 


for April is interchangeable. 


Additional Out-of-door Material. 

Almost any of the Mixers and games for large groups 
can be used for out- -of- door evening parties. Many of 
the tricks, contests in which only a few contestants take 
part, and games for small groups can be used for the 
less strenuous out-of-door games. 


Yuet oF 


182 THE FUN BOOK 


Noah’ ’s Ark can be used to very good advantage as a 
pichie game if small pieces of white paper are hidden 
about the grounds. 

All of the picnic events written up for men or boy 
players can be used for girls in athletic dress. | 


Campfire Games. 
The following games, written up Bikcwiane: in this 
book, may be used to supplement the Camy pfire inate jal: 


1. Ambitions. Pees Quantity, not Quality/ 2 Zo 
2. I Am a Great Man.},¥ 11. Slang. /30-) ¥ f 
3. Penalty. 12. Toasts and rei ISA 
4. daa eantnnae p Abbre- 18. Hallowe’en Storytelling. 
viations. 4. 
. Gymnastic Wedding.” 7514. Hallowe’en Witch:/’ 4 
Spring Has Come! 4% 15. Whistling Race. / (./ 
. April Fool Spelldown. 16. Gobble! /4%, 
. Kiss the Blarney Stone. 17. Thanksgiving Orchestra. | | 
. Dizzy Mixup. 18. No! pas 


] 


Ry, 


P™% 


) é 


INDEX 


5 


; 


INDEX 


185 


A ae Partners ..... ee ea al | 
; . ombardment ........ 91 
ene Oterieh = 01k ABT (Book Chanaciers. cu. 129 
Advance Fashions ..... 19 Boomerang Conversa- 
away Carb enacuite fsa 76, 77 B DONA slew rata 132, 133 
halve oi eisioeness 150 Bottle Shower ........ 82 
An April Foolish Mixer 56 Bump Reader, The.... 141 
Se ae eee 411 Burden Race ......... 102 
Ankle Race .......... 107 
. Apple Bobbing ....... LO C 
April Fool Harmonies. 5% _ . 
‘ April Fool:Hunt ....'.. BS yr GPObN- tii. sisic'as sis ees ikea 
April Fool Jump ..... 56,57 Cake Fortunes ........ 150 
‘April Fool Locomotion. 58 /Campfire Contests .... 116 
‘April Fool Mending { Campfire Games ...... 182 
SORTER Wishes cto ia’ 's, since veh 59 \Campfire Singing .... 114 
April Fool Party ..... 53, 54 ene Blowing For- 
\April Fool Races ..... "57 tUME eee ee esses dol 
‘April Fool Spelldown. 58 Candle SEED DOrs + +.s\alt 168 
Carnivals ia wei. 169 
B Catch Contests ....... 112 
Celebrities...) sav ts koe 28 
Baby Caps. wiv... 9,10 Changing One’s Name. 74 
Baby how to. kos oe o's &: Do Cherry Hace (a si. cele 36 
Balloon Blow .......'. 106 Chesty Spelling ...... 122 
Beanbag Tag ........ BO CAT CAT YU es, talatens 16 
eae, bac ie es she vs 143. Chopstick Chew, The.. 160 
Be-witched Hearts ..145,146 ‘Christmas Blind Man’s 
Be-witched Partners .. 145 Bul Seay ieee 175 
PTISOD AL ole ae enh 64-0 119 Christmas Grand 
Black Heart, The ..... SAP Be aia MEALOM he ibert aaa a tt 166, 167 
PHAPNGY: cho ooh a 2 8 cseen 51 Christmas Messages... 173 
Blind Leading the Blind, | Christmas Races ...... 171 
PIV hk Bale alee. aes a's 1 | Christmas Stockings ... 173 
Blind Man 305. .4. 64" 116 | Christmas Toys ........ 171 


186 

Circle Games ....... mre Be 
Circle Safety ......... 94. 
Circle Tag cegioten . os 1} 
Circle Tiddledewinks .. 164 
Clothespin Croquet... 164 


Clab Beer ee ese eee 91 
Competitive Catch .... 92 
Competitive Teacher ... 93 
Complimentary Abbre- 


WIATIGOS ewe a a 48 
Complimentary Valen- 
ANESTH rae PA eile 36 


Conceited Calendar ... 12 


Cooperation |....'.25\. x WG DS Grp 
Couple Fortune ....... 147 
Couple Race ......... 107 
LODTAED ALU a ste siae bin elt 16 
Cupid seid aves geese bial . 35, 36 
D 
Definifions' . 6 .'s).'s0i-s Aiton WE; 
Deformity Race ...... 57 
DISGAIA eich iecd ene es 65 
Dividing into Groups.. 178 
Digzy Mixup; As... 3 125 
DO) REMI OW EL elas olen 130 
Dollidale Ther iy. 504 167 


Domestic Difficulties .. 
‘Double Cat and Rat... 88 


i Double Dead Ball ..... 87 
| Double Jerusalem ..... 158 
ouble Meaning ...... 117 


Dramatic Lone 79. 
| Dramatic Spelling . 
‘Dramatic Tests ....... 
Dressed-up Leapfrog .. 86 


Duck Waddle, The .... 100 
Dustpan Race, The.... 100 
Dates ysis) eee ws . 18,19 


Easter Eggshell Contest 63 
Eating Contests 


INDEX 


Eating on the Level... 103 
Egg Balance, The ..... 63 
Kmerald Isle ......... 47 


Enfranchised Baseball . 84 


Examinations ......... 127 
Exchange (oi. se eke 6 aah 
Extinct Fashions ..... 19 
F 

Fabricated Santa Claus 172 
Fagot. Stunt <.ystes 152 
False Fronts cis os <oe8 54 
Pamily Stugts ... ss. 159 
Lane BO Ns als 69 

armer and Turkey . 160 
Fated Spots (cay cas 138 
Feminist Easter Bonnet, 

Dewi ka hoy ae cere 61 
Bash portd ) Gentine este 38 
Fiat-heads: 4.0/0). ...si3 > 48,49 


Flower Jump, The .... 72,73 
Flower Petal Partners . 73 


Flowerlike Faces ..... 70 
POxbunesi ys vine ow es 147, 148, 
149, 150, 151 


Fortune Telling Eggs . 62 
Four-legged Cat and 

Feat NA aes 88 
Friendly Enemies .... 94 


Frogs and Crawfish ... 106 
G 
Garden Maze, The.... 69 
Gift Exchange ....... 170 
Gilt Toss; Thesasawene 174 
Gifts on Strings ..... a) aa 
Gopbled i. 6.0 24k Gua 156 
Going to School ..... oe 
Lrolashe ts sy satiai cee ak 17,18 
KFORST DAs a a iieteets aN RB 115 
Grab Bag Wis even Vas touees 
Grand Opera Tag .... 99 
Grass Loops ....... ele hae 


| 
| 


: Initial Flowers 
_ Initial Fortunes 
- Initial Resolves 


i 


| Initial Stunts 


RETBAD LM GN 0 si.4 oo osha ahe' 
Guarding the Club.... 
Guessing Gifts 
Gymnastic Wedding ... 


PPAR Emu ste iris ep 
Half a Quotation ..... 
Hallowe’en Feeding ... 
Hallowe’en Fishing ... 
Hallowe’en Fortunes .. 


INDEX 
31, 32 @ Initials 


92 
174 
75 


146 


Hallowe’en Hairdress 136, 137 


Hallowe’en Hospitality. 
Hallowe’en Storytelling 
Hallowe’en Witch, The 
Hand of Fate, The . 


Haste Makes Wista ae 
Have as Heart) soo... 
Hearts and Flours.... 
Heart-y Singing ...... 
Fridden (GutS vec. 3 i 32s 
Hidden Turkeys ...... 


Hide and Go Seek Tag 
Hippity Hop Tag .... 
AE GORA 00) pa a da vines 
Horseshoe 
How Do You Do! .... 


I 


I Am a Great Man .... 
RR RAL OSE eo wo oe aids 
I Give My Heart To — 
I Make My Will 
I See a Ghost 
Ice Water ter Relay 
‘Hitation 
Impedinients: iil... 5.,. 
Individual Contents’ re 
Infallible Fortunes . 


ese eee 


eee eee 8 0 


eoeesoeveeve eee ee 


eoereees 


138 
152, 
144 
139 
128 


187 

OA Cae weenie es 115 

Intermittent Heart Hunt 26 
K 

Kick Baseball ........ 90 

Kick the Stick ....... 90 

Kiss the Blarney Stone 51 
L 

Labor Day Trades.... 129 

Lary’s; Mampi ii ks 123 

Learning a New Lan- 
Pah ea oR ELA RA 120 


Limited Sociability ... 11,12 
Long Ball 89 


Lost Christmas Gift, 
Rete au tel soe alee ils 169 
M 
Mad-March Party, A .. 49, 50 
Maken iio a so 4s ston 78 
Man-Made Gifts ...... 173 
March Madness ...... 45, 46 
Marooned wae sey 39, 40 
Mashed Potatoes ...... 46 
WL VY elie Ani inn 70 
Men’s Fashion Show... 65, 66 
Mental, Testi iis oy sade’ 117 
Mimic Cat and Rat... 87 
Miniature Tenpins ... 164 
Mirror Fortune ...... 148 
Mixm ne ies ea 118 
Monkey Relay, The... 101 
Muddy March ....... 45 
/Musical Egg, The .... 60,61 
‘Musical Fortunes ..... 1 
‘Musical Pom Pom Pull 
RED ot eaten ee eee 
Meg Diser sou uaa 19, 20 
By iDreainivey sth. 38 
My /Muture to) .uyary 37 


My Heart Is Broken.. 29, 30 
My Heart Troubles... 37 


188 
N 
Narrow Course, The .. 34 
Nature Study ........ OT 
New Era, The’... 0.54. 67 
New Pussin the Corner 97 
Nicknames ‘2s. i. eae 42, 43 
NR Bee Basle tee kee eats 123 
NOSP AINE Uaioe a's eles DD 
Noah’ Ark iiss) \)s 06 oie 26, 27 
Nose and Toe Tag... 99 
Now You Bite It..... 157 
Number Fortune .... 149 
O 
Obstacle Race ....... 102) 
Obstacles ss. ci suis ies 87 
Obstacles of Married 
Tate) Une faa shal als 78 


One Basket Basketball. 93 


One Third of a Pig ... 46, 47 
COT eR rete ote win ae eae 157 
(iveritake . C8 i. eh Kwees 96 
Gvertake: Tae 3 ieee do ede 
de 
Pralmigstey 3) ich. 4 aia wielela 142 
Pan Balance. is dia 49 
Pantomime Resolutions 21 
Pareal | Post sc vicie aie 169 
PArtnere Scie aes 177 
Pass Ball Relays ..... 112 


Pass the Buck Tag ... 98 


Picking Up Business .. 129 
Pie: Lins Kaee (4 eee 106 
Picey sli seat ues ‘ 48 
Pte aL ity atin gle) aietans fa 89 
Pir Shower. '.s0%0 5 6s 82 
Plank  Haeaws i yuies 106 
Poon .Ponen ec. + 112 
POOR ey wie whe ist 
Poor Pussy sie eas 152, 153 
Pork and Beans Part- 

Hers A Cee er ne 163 


INDEX 


Potato Jerusalem .... 51 
Potato Relays ....... 49 
‘Progressive Cranberries 163 
Progressive Fortunes . 149 
‘Progressive Watchful 
1 Waiting 0 weave eae 134 
Proverbs (ss4s.008 sue er 116 
Q 
Quantity, not Quality . 125 
Quick Thinking ...... 117 
Quizz, NG sevice, ween 116 
Quote Games ........ 180 
R 
Rabbits’, Bars’. ..50.5% 60 
Hates. Pyne oe nn 179 


Recipes for Happiness, 
ete. 
Red-eared Bunny, The 63 
Refreshments. 18, 23, 34, 30, 
Stat ance nacre 59, 60, 73, 145 
Regular Fashion ’ Show 71 


oeeeeceevreesee eevee 


Resolute Greetings ... 10 
Resolute Story, A .... 22 
Rocking Chair Drag, 

TYG Ne 6 oe eee ee 158 
Ruth and Jacob ...... 111 
S. 
shies d UPC ae bats yor 137, 138 
Satety Belle wins il. 167 
Saucer Fortunes ..... 151 
School Discipline ...121, 122 
Schoolroom Races .... 134 
Beulpturing:.3.) tae ens 163 
Shadow Tag ...s.4.)5 99 
Shadows secs carey coun 144 
Shamrock Hunt ...... 43 
Signs of the Zodiac... 149 
Simple Speaking ..... 121 
‘Singing ais | Ae areata 114 
‘Singing Race ........ 106 


[ 
: 


ee 


INDEX 


PLP te oo « fis tee a) 113 
SEES Ball ONE Re aS ai ah 130, 131 
Slippery Slide, The .. 14 
Snappy Happy New. 

GANG te ok ate ye 14,15 
Snappy Spelling ...126, 127 
Snub Nose Race ...... 31 

Repiner,: Web)... cece 146 
/ Spring Beauties Race. 67 
BpLoe Birds Wh... «es 71, 72 
Spring Flowers ...... 67 
. Spring Will Come .... 68 
‘Sticky Snowballs ....16,17 
mLoOneas CAPrY i. cs lees 106 
ptork  Haces. 2.44: 18 
Stormy Weather ..... 155 
Straight and Narrow 

raat e OV ec vind s soe 3, 14 
Suitcase Race ........ 105 
Swimming Boxes .... 105 

dv 

Table Tiddledewinks .. 164 
PEREOW MME DS eles e's 99,111, 112 
MOH WAY fhe ekg asa es 108 
BEE Le eESS oe ys. sly, ws ale 0 93 
Telltale Milk Bottle... 151 
Telltale Music ....... 119 
CE yl OED Banana 90 
Terrific Tableaux .... 139 
Thankful Stunts ....154, 155 
Thanksgiving Singing. 161 
Thrilling Three Deep . 85 
Tiddledewinks ....... 164 
Timid Tossers, The ... 101 
Toasts and Roasts .... 152 
Touch Fortune ....... 147 
Tournament of Roses, 

CME ates Soe he ay) « , 81 
Train of Thought .... 130 
Traveling Sights 113 
Treasure Diving ..... 108 

DNs uinits oiinty s 145 


Tricks 


189 
be Pa je Me Rg amos My gt ae 99 
Trip to Ireland, A..... 50 
br awed UMS TALE TAC fu eta 31 
Two in One Sack Race 102 
: U 
Under Cover ........ 107 
Unlimited Vocabularies 128 
Untying Knots ...... 81 
M 
Valentine Hunt. oo... aif 
Valentine Postoffice ... 38 
Valentines fev. wes 36 
Valet Service ........ vit’ 
Verse Shower ....... 82 
Vicarious Bad Habits 13 
Vicarious Resolutions . yd | 
Vicarious Wishes .... 22, 


Vicious Donkey, The .. 58, 59 
Virtuous Tableaux ... 16 


Volunteer Gifts ...... 75 
W 
War on Horseback ... 86 
Washington Without 
Ginecol, eae aan 33, 34 
Watchful Waiting .... 133 
Water Animals ...... 108 
Water Baseball ...... ro fal 
Water (Bat siy alsy 109 
Water: Dash palin, 3. 44 109 
Water Football ...... 110 
Water Newecome ..... 110 
Water Pom Pom Pull 
AA cole ee ae ae 107 
Water Tag Games .... 112 


Watery Three Deep .. 111 
Wearing of the Green . 41, 42 


Wedding Finery ..... 74 
Wedding Music ...... 15 
Wedding Supper, The 83 


Wet Weather| a a i . 3 
Whistling Race ... } Word “Hunting Wiles a 

Whoops My Dear! 104° Workup). v5.0.3. woe i 
‘Witch’s Cat, The .. 140 © Mi TRO! se esse 


= 
jon) 
jock 


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